Heroic Suburbanites
by wentworth360
Summary: Diana makes a bet with Bruce...
1. Chapter 1

Heroic Suburbanites

"The Bet"

Gotham Heights

The first slogan the community boosters came up with was 'Close enough to Gotham, but not too close.' It was rejected as being just a little too near to the truth. They went with the more homogenized and blander, 'Only A Drive Away, Yet a World Away.' The message was the same; this isn't where those crazy people are.

The message was received and those that could afford it, moved to the quiet suburb.

As you drive down the tree lined streets, passed the immaculately cared for lawns it's easy to forget you're only twenty minutes by expressway from Gotham. That's the intention of the place. It's a gated community designed to look like small town anywhere. Identical driveways lead to identical houses, one after another on every street.

You can always tell what's important to a community by looking at the front of the houses in it. In Gotham Heights, two car garages dominate what you see. There are no front porches. This is a fenced in backyard world.

Keeping with the theme of the area, there are the usual suspects, Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, Red Lobsters, T.G.I Fridays and the rest. A little imitation ethnic feel neatly housed in strip malls with names like 'the Commons.' It's the world of the television commercial come to life. The illusion of clean shiny streets populated by friendly, smiling neighbors.

Bob and Dottie Fulton moved to Gotham Heights from the city. The crime and violence just got too much to take. They used to talk about moving somewhere and starting a family. They dreamed of a place where their kids could play in the yard and not worry about drive-by shootings. They pictured a dog or a cat named Shadow frolicking in the backyard. They saw trips to youth soccer games and snow cones served by volunteers of the Booster Club, the sound of lawn tractors waking them up on Saturday mornings instead of gunfire.

In short they pictured a world that really didn't exist, well, at least not on their incomes. It took several years of scrimping and saving just to come up with a down payment for their house in Gotham Heights. The mortgage was a killer, but they felt like they'd found a safe home.

They made friends in the neighborhood, most of who were in the same situation they were. They all told themselves that it was worth it and they were only slightly overextended. Business would pick up and they'd be able to get out from under the huge financial burden they were all carrying.

They were all just regular people, car salesmen, small business owners, teachers and the like. It seemed like the future was so bright, then the economy took a turn for the worse. Suddenly they owed more than their property was worth on today's market. People weren't buying cars the way they used to and teachers were being laid off.

Everyone was scrambling to stay above water. Desperate times calls for desperate actions.

Bob and Dottie walked up the identical walkway of their neighbor's house and rang the bell. Dottie was carrying a covered dish, as the party tonight was a potluck. The door opened and a big smiling man greeted them.

"Well, we were starting to get worried you weren't going to show!"

Cubby Vinton and his lovely, petite wife LuAnn ushered the two into their home. There were four other couples, the Wingers, the Sawyers, the Burns and the Whites.

"Everybody, Bob and Dottie are finally here,' Cubby announced. "Hey, let me take your coats."

Dottie handed the covered dish to LuAnn and then slipped off her light spring jacket.

"Oh, this looks lovely, I'll just put it with the others,' LuAnn said as she looked at the covered dish. Cubby took their coats as the others came over to greet them.

"My, my, Dottie, have you lost weight,' Cubby asked. "You're lucky I'm a married man, Bob or you'd have competition for this little lady."

Bob and Dottie blushed and laughed nervously.

"Don't believe him, Bob, it never stopped him before,' LuAnn called from the kitchen. This brought more laughter and blushing. Everyone moved into the living room and Cubby played bartender and fixed a pitcher of drinks for everyone. The men stood together talking amongst themselves, as did the women.

"So how are things down at the store, Bob,' Carl White asked.

"Not good, nobody's buying greetings cards and candy right now."

"It's the same down at the dealership,' Ted Burns added. "A whole lot of lookie loos but no buyers."

"It's rough out there,' Cubby agreed. "I never thought I'd see a day when the aluminum siding game was this bad. I mean, hell, the stuff used to practically sell itself!'

"Well, everyone's tightening their belts,' Phil Sawyer offered.

"But now is the time to get in," Cubby replied. "You wouldn't believe the deals I can offer right now, Phil. Aluminum siding is the future!"

"My house is brick, Cubby."

The conversation when on for a while and then LuAnn called to Cubby.

"Since everyone is here, Cubby, why don't we get started,' she suggested. "We can have the potluck dinner afterwards."

'I think I'd forget my pants if she didn't remind me,' he chuckled. "All right, everyone, let's venture down to the Sanctum Supreme as it were. Your outfits are all on the bumper pool table so help yourself."

They all filed down the stairs to the finished basement. Laid out neatly, with their names pinned on them were the ceremonial robes. As they began to put them on, Bob was still a little nervous about all of this.

"Are you sure we should go through with this? It just doesn't feel right, you know?"

"Bob, we've been over this before. In tough economic times like these you got to do everything you can to make it,' Cubby explained. "We've all carved out a life here for ourselves and don't want to lose it. Desperate times call for desperate actions. We all need every edge we can get."

"I know, Cubby, but this, really?"

"Oh, come on, Bob, the goat's already dead,' Phil said. "It's just an offering, a symbolic offering.'

"We all need a little help turning things around, Bob,' Cubby said to him. "That card store isn't going to survive unless you get some help."

"I know,' Bob admitted. "All right, let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!"

Cubby clapped Bob on the back and moved over to LuAnn. The others lined up in front of them. Cubby put on the satin pointy hat that completed his outfit and nodded to his wife. LuAnn took a small plastic mallet and banged it against a toy cymbal three times.

"Let's get the show on the road folks,' Cubby shouted and then turned towards the converted den.

"Hail Satan! Hail Lord of the Underworld!" he chanted.

"Hail Satan! Hail Lord of the Underworld,' the others repeated. Each raised their ceremonial dagger and headed into the den.

* * *

The Watchtower

Diana, Princess of Themyscira was not happy. It had been a tumultuous two years since she'd entered the Man's World to be an ambassador for her people. In that time she'd joined the Justice League and fought off too many threats to count and became known world wide as Wonder Woman.

It had been a whirlwind at first, setting up the embassy, trying to get acclimated to the world, but she thought she had managed it quite well. What hadn't gone so smoothly was her private life. She found being out in the world, she felt the same desires and wants as every other person. The biggest surprised, given her heritage, was her interested in men.

She first noticed it with Kal. Looking back on it, she had to admit he made quite the first impression. He was like one of her Gods in mortal form with extraordinary powers. Meeting someone her equal was surprising and alluring in many ways. Unfortunately, she soon learned he'd just started dating Lois Lane.

It was her first taste of defeat in the Man's World.

It had taken time, but she got over her crush and moved on. The two became friends, close friends. He was always ready to help her adjust to the new world around her and they formed a deep bond. He was always someone she could talk to.

It was just in the last year she noticed her feelings for another of her teammates, Batman. They had been dancing around each other, flirting for some time now. At first it was fun and new, but as it continued, Diana found she wanted more. It was then she found out just how mercurial and frustrating Bruce Wayne could be.

He seemed to lead her on, then push her away. He acted like he was interested, but when she pursued it he became cold and distant. His latest excuse in their on again, off again relationship was the most infuriating. It was a variation of another argument he had used before.

They were from two different worlds.

She was an immortal Amazon Princess, endowed by her Gods with extraordinary gifts, while he was just a rich mortal with issues. He had even gone so far as to say he didn't want to be Lois Lane to her Superman. He made it clear they could never work as a couple.

He had basically slammed the door in her face to any possibility of them having a relationship. What made her so angry and unhappy was she couldn't seem to get it through to him; they weren't really that different when you get right down to it. Yes, there would be basic, fundamental issues if they were to try and be together, but if they really cared for each other, they would find a way to work around them just as Kal had with Lois.

He scoffed at this. Diana felt like punching him in the face for it.

Currently they were both sitting in a Justice League meeting. They didn't look at each other or speak. Dinah and Jonn were going over the various topics that confronted them. It was a slow time at the moment and most of it dealt with smaller issues.

"We received a interesting report from New York,' Jonn said. "The police commissioner believes elements of organized crime from Gotham have moved to the Big Apple. He thinks there's going to be a turf war and has asked our help.'

"That sounds more like a job for local authorities than the Justice League," Green Lantern offered.

"Yes, but he believes Meta-humans might be brought into the conflict and would like us to check on this aspect."

"I've heard rumblings along those lines," Batman said. "I think someone needs to do a little undercover work to check it out. Unfortunately, I can't be away from Gotham right now."

"I'm not busy at the moment," Diana offered. "I'd be happy to investigate.'

"I don't think so, Princess,' Batman replied. There was just a hint of a smile as he said this. "Canary, are you free?"

"No, between my duties here and the gang issue in Star city my plate is full,' she said.

"I'm booked too,' Ollie added.

"I'm available,' Diana repeated. If Batman heard this, he didn't acknowledge it.

"Don't we have anyone already on the scene,' he asked.

"No, the heroes that make their residence there are all working on other things,' Jonn replied.

"I said, I'm available,' Diana repeated, a little louder this time.

"Not really your type of job, Princess,' Batman said dismissively. "How about Wildcat or Vigilante?"

"Out west somewhere, not in communications at the moment,' Dinah replied.

"I suppose I could get Question and Huntress to look into it,' Batman mused. "Maybe Dick would take some time off and check it out."

"I said I'd be willing to do this, Batman,' Diana said forcefully.

"No,' he replied. "Let's see if Question and Huntress can get away for this, Jonn. What's next on the agenda, Dinah?"

"Excuse me a moment,' Diana interrupted. "Would you care to explain why you are so against me doing this, Batman?"

Everyone could feel the tension between the two. Zee, Wally and Shayera looked back and forth at Diana and Bruce with bated breath, waiting for the explosion. Bruce turned and addressed Diana in a calm even voice.

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses, Diana. If this were an invasion or a meta-human prison break out, you'd be first on the list. This calls for quieter skills, blending in and going undercover. It's more about observation than smashing things."

'Are you saying I don't have those skills,' Diana demanded.

"No, I'm just saying you and those like you rely too much on your powers to be as effective as someone who doesn't have powers."

"Wait, wait, are you saying that non-metas are better at this kind of thing than metas are,' Wally asked.

"Yes."

"That's what I thought,' Wally replied. "Hey, wait a second, I think you just insulted me!"

"I think he insulted several of us,' Zatanna added.

"I wasn't trying to insult you, just point out facts,' Bruce explained. "We all have special skills and it's only logical that we use them in the most effective way. If this were a magic incident for example, we would send Zatanna and Doctor Fate."

"So you're not insulting us?" Wally looked around, the confusion plain on his face.

"No, Wally, I'm not."

"Why exactly wouldn't I be able to do this, when Question and Huntress would,' Diana asked.

"Come on, Diana, do you really think you could just blend in with these sorts of people? Have you ever done anything undercover in your life?"

Diana stood up, the anger plain on her face. She put her hands on her hips and stared at Bruce.

"Are you saying I couldn't blend in?"

Standing there in her Wonder Woman outfit, even some of the more supportive members had a hard time picturing her blending in anywhere.

"Yes,' Bruce replied. "But if it makes you feel better, so would most of the super powered members of the League."

"Hey! That's not true,' Zee shouted. "We could handle it just as well as you could."

"Hate to agree with the Bats, but he does have a point,' Ollie said. "You super types tend to rely on your powers way too much."

"Jackass,' Zee grumbled.

"Come one, Zatanna, Diana, it's just the way it is,' Bruce explained. "Could either of you go a day without using your powers? It would be like Shayera not flying. It's a simple fact that non-metas don't have powers to fall back on like you do. They have only their normal skills to rely on.'

"Are you suggesting that because you don't have extraordinary powers, that makes you better suited for this sort of assignment, Batman,' Jonn asked.

"Yes. You can mimic normal humans Jonn, but unless you are one, you'll never quite know how they think or will act."

"Oh, please, not your different worlds argument,' Diana groaned.

"The truth is the truth, Diana,' Bruce replied.

'What about Superman,' Jonn offered.

"Yes, good point, Jonn.' Diana immediately jumped on this. "Kal has blended in as well as any one, Bruce. Doesn't he prove you're wrong?"

"No, far from it,' Bruce replied. "I'll admit Clark has done an amazing job at blending in. Most don't even give him a second look in his mild mannered Clark Kent persona, but that's all it is, a persona. Everyday he uses his powers one way or another. It's ingrained in all of you to do it. Wally just naturally runs, Zee naturally uses magic, Jonn naturally uses his gifts, just like you and Clark, Diana."

"It's not your fault,' Ollie added. "It's part of who you are, so you can't just turn them off.'

"What about Dinah,' Zee asked. "She's got that screaming till your ears bleed thing, why isn't she on your list?"

"Thanks Zee.' Dinah sarcastically replied. "It's so nice the way you describe my power. Jeez and you're supposed to be my friend."

"Dinah doesn't use her power everyday, Zee,' Batman pointed out. "For the most part she has to rely on her training and normal fighting skills. Can you honestly say you could go a month without using magic? Could any of you go that long without using your powers?"

"That isn't the point," Diana started to refute his argument, but Bruce cut her off.

"Yes, it is, Princess. The rest of us don't have your powers to fall back on, so we have to make do with the skills we've honed over time. Different worlds, Diana."

"You're wrong, Bruce," Diana fired back at him.

"I guess we'll never know, will we, Princess?'

"You know that sounds like a bet," Wally offered. "Diana doesn't use her powers for a whole month. Who's interested?"

"Come one, Wally, get serious," Bruce scoffed. "That's a suckers bet."

Diana's anger had been rising all through the meeting. She felt insulted by both Bruce's tone and his suggestion.

"I will make the bet, Bruce, unless you're not willing to back up your words," she said. He looked at her and smiled.

"You can't be serious, Diana."

"I am."

"A whole month without using your powers, no way."

"So is it a bet," Diana asked.

"All right, Princess, I'll bet you," Bruce replied. 'This will be the easiest bet I've ever won."

"Put your money where your mouth is, Batman. I'll leave for New York tonight," Dian confidently said.

"Forget about New York," Bruce offered. "I'll make it even easier and more interesting. There's been some strange reports of odd goings on in Gotham Heights lately, but I haven't checked them out."

"Why," Zee asked.

'Batman doesn't do the suburbs," he matter of factly replied.

'What sort of strange things," Diana asked.

"Mutilated animals, pentagrams, the usual satanic stuff. It might just be teenagers, but someone should look into it. I'll even set you up with an identity and house, Diana, that's how sure I am you'll lose," Bruce explained.

"I will enjoy watching you admit your defeat, Bruce," she fired back.

"Oh, there's one other thing," he said with a smile. "It's a gated community, couples. You'll have to go in undercover with someone as husband and wife."

The smile slipped from Diana's lips just a bit at hearing this detail. Wally and Plastic man had been listening with rapped attention.

"Oh! Oh! Pick me, Diana! Pick me," Wally shouted.

"No! Pick me, Princess!" Plastic man shouted as well.

"No, since Bruce is so sure we super powered heroes can't do this, I will pick Kal. That should prove you completely wrong Bruce."

"Superman, well now that makes it interesting," Shayera whispered to Zee.

"I'd make that bet," Zee replied.

"You want to send a month as husband and wife with Superman? Shocker," Shayera teased.

"Shut up."

"So what are the stakes of this bet," Wally asked. "How much?"

"Well, I thought I'd take it easy on Diana, let's say you take my monitoring shifts for two months," Bruce offered.

"I agree, if you win," Diana replied. "If I win, you have to give up being Batman for two weeks. Deal?"

"What? I can't be away from Gotham for two weeks, Princess," Bruce said.

"I didn't say you had to leave Gotham, you just can't wear the outfit, Bruce," Diana countered. She flashed him her sweetest smile. "I thought you were so sure you were going to win?"

Bruce saw the smug smile on her face, as she knew it would kill him not to be out as Batman for two weeks. He rose to the bait.

"Deal, Princess," he replied. "One month in the suburbs without using your powers and you win."

"Deal."

"Deal."

They shook on it, staring each other down the whole time.

The door opened and Superman stepped inside.

"Sorry I'm late, but there was a tanker fire in the Gulf." He offered as he took his seat. "So what did I miss?"


	2. Chapter 2

2 W's

The Watchtower

As the conversation swirled all around him, a rather confused Clark Kent slowly raised his hand.

"Excuse me, could we go back a second,' he asked. "I'm doing what with whom and more importantly, why?"

"Hey, that's three of the five W's Big Blue, I guess you really are a reporter after all,' Wally said.

"What did you think he was lying,' Zatanna asked.

"Well I've been developing this theory that he's actually two people just pretending to be one,' Wally explained. "It takes the whole secret identity thing and turns it on its head."

The room got quiet for a moment as everyone gave Wally a look that said 'are you insane'. Even Plastic Man, who had turned himself into a miniature zeppelin, stopped floating around the room for a moment. With a shake of her head, Diana turned from Wally to Clark.

"You are helping me win a bet against Bruce,' she explained. "He has challenged me and as an Amazon I'm am going to make him eat his words!"

"Okay, I can see you're really fired up about this, but why does it involve me moving to the suburbs?"

"The bet is that we can't live a month without using our powers,' Diana continued. "Bruce arrogantly believes that somehow having powers makes us less equipped to do certain jobs than non-metas can."

Clark turned to Bruce now.

"Seriously?'

"Yes,' Bruce replied. "You tend to use and rely on your superpowers too much. Those of us that don't have them had to develop other skills that make us better at working undercover."

"So the fact that I can sit a mile away and see and listen to everything being said and done is a hindrance? Do I have that right?"

"The bet is the Princess and you can't go a month without using your powers,' Bruce replied. He didn't even bother addressing what Clark had said.

"Why would we want to?"

"When was the last time you went even a day without using your powers, Clark?"

"Is this about your two worlds excuse, Bruce?"

"No."

"Yes!"

"I just was trying to explain to Diana that some assignments are better suited for members without powers,' Bruce offered. "She's the one taking it personally."

Clark could see Diana's temper rising. He could also tell from the way the two of them were staring at each other that something else was going on here. The last place Clark wanted to be was between Diana and Bruce at the moment.

"Okay, I can see you're both passionate about this, but I'm going to have to be counted out on this one,' Clark said. "I've got a job and other commitments to think about."

"Oh! Oh! If he doesn't want to do it, pick me, Diana!" Wally waved his hand in the air.

"No! Pick me, Princess!" Plastic Man zipped overhead, dipping the nose of his zeppelin.

"Thank you both for the offer, but I don't really think of you two that way,' Diana diplomatically said. "I think of you both more as friends."

"Well, that's a punch in the gut,' Wally groused. "That's like the worst thing you can say in the English language, Diana!'

"Actually it's not," Plastic Man said as he continued to circle. "Its not even in the top ten."

"Oh, come on, sure it is,' Wally replied. "What could be worse than that?"

"Well, number two is, 'I shit myself."

Everyone made faces in disgust.

"That's number two?' Dinah groaned.

"Yeah, number two! Get it?' Plastic Man laughed. "Number two, oh that's rich! Whoop-Whoop, hee-hee, ring-a-ding-ding-ding, ring-a-ding-ding-ding!"

As stupid as it was, Shayera, Wally and Zatanna had a hard time keeping a straight face. Dinah shook her head in disgust and dropped it into her hands.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but what's number one,' she asked.

"I shit myself again! Ring-a-ding-ding-DING!"

Plastic Man went into hysterics, making little farting noises as he circled overhead.

"Get Out!"

"Hey, but you asked,' he complained.

"GET OUT!"

Dinah was on her feet pointing at the door. One look at her told Plastic Man it was time to leave.

"Okay, I'm going, but you did ask!"

"GET… OUT!"

Still making little farting noises, Plastic Man disappeared through the door.

"I hate him!"

Dinah glanced around the table, her eyes landing on Wally and Zee. They were both trying hard not to laugh, but failing miserably.

"You two keep it up and you're going on my list too!"

"Easy, Dinah,' Ollie said, as he gently took her hand and ushered her back to her chair. She reluctantly sat back down, still grumbling about Plastic Man. It was quiet for a moment and then finally Bruce spoke up.

"Don't you have vacation time saved up, Clark? You're never sick so you must have a couple of weeks by now."

Clark had been caught up in the Plastic Man/Black Canary moment and it took a second to realize Bruce had said something.

"Ah, yes, um, yes, I have some time coming, Bruce, but I can't just take off like that. I've got responsibilities and commitments to think about."

"So you're out, Clark? I guess that's that, Princess. We'll just have to have a difference of opinion."

"I'm sorry, Diana, I can see this is important to you, but I'm afraid I can't help,' Clark offered.

Diana looked from Clark to Bruce and then back at Clark. She stood up and held out her hand towards Clark.

"May I speak to you in private, Kal?"

Clark shook his head as he turned towards her.

"I don't think that's going to change anything Diana. Maybe you should pick someone… hey!'

She suddenly jerked him out of his chair and onto his feet. The look in her eye told him they were going to talk whether he liked it or not.

"I guess talking wouldn't hurt,' he lamely said.

"Good, come with me."

Still holding his hand, Diana practically dragged Clark from the room. The others were quiet until after they left the room.

"So the bet's on,' Wally said. "I've got twenty that says Diana and Clark wins. Any takers?"

"Make it fifty and you got a bet,' Ollie replied.

'You're on, my friend!"

* * *

Gotham Heights

The six couples had just finished another successful ceremony and were feeling something of a rush as they exited the converted den. There was more blood on their robes than usual, but since Carl owned a laundry they weren't too worried.

"Okay, everybody, greet work in there," Cubby offered. "I think we really knocked one out of the park for Satan tonight! You all deserve a pat on the back!"

"There's a hamper for your robes," LuAnn added. "I hope everyone's hungry because we've got barbequed ribs and I know Betty made her famous potato salad. There's lots of food, so let's head upstairs and dig in!"

Everyone took off their robes and put them in the hamper before moving up to the living room. LuAnn was already hard at work, setting out the Chinet paper plates and tableware. Two lines formed on either side of the table.

"Everything looks so good,' Betty Winger commented.

"Who knew performing a Satanic ritual could give you such an appetite,' Jenny White offered.

"You really went to town on that goat down there, Dottie,' Carl said. "I could tell you were really in the zone."

Dottie blushed as she took a spoonful of the macaroni salad.

"I have to admit, I was ambivalent about this at first,' she said. "I mean I'm a good Christian. I go to services every Sunday, but this is so different and exciting!"

"I know," Marie Burns commented. "It's so theatrical, with the costumes and the incense. I feel like an actress when I raise my dagger down there."

"Exactly,' Dottie agreed. "I missed the whole Sixties hippie thing and the Me Decade of the 70's but I've seen films about those times. It always looked so wild and fun. This is like that."

"You know, we should get some of the Pot,' Marie said. "I've seen those shows too and they are always smoking the Pot."

"I've never done it, but I hear it heightens the experience,' Dottie offered.

"It does,' Nancy Sawyer remarked. Everyone looked at her in surprise. She blushed under the scrutiny. "It-It was in college, I tried it."

"Don't you mean you experimented with it,' Joe Winger joked.

"Let's do it,' Dottie excitedly said. "Let's do the Pot before the next ceremony! Can we?"

"I don't see why not,' Cubby replied. He continued heaping food on his plate, as the others talked eagerly.

"Where would we get it,' LuAnn asked. "Does anyone know someone in Gotham Heights that has it?"

"Nancy, since you've tried it, do you know anyone,' Bob asked.

"No, of course not," she said, blushing as everyone looked at her. "It was at a college party and someone else had it. I wouldn't even know where start looking for it."

"The High School is probably your best bet,' LuAnn offered.

"I don't think we want to get it here in Gotham Heights anyway,' Joe said. "We don't need any nosey Nellie's poking into what we're doing here."

"Good point, Joe, good point,' Cubby offered. "We want to keep this on the down low, as it were."

"The down low, my Cubby, you even know the lingo,' Marie said in admiration.

"I've seen some things, darling," Cubby said with a wink and a smile. "Just because LuAnn and I grew up in Smallville doesn't mean we're straight off the farm."

"So do you know someone we can get it from,' Carl asked.

"Ah, no."

"I might.' Phil Sawyer spoke up. "When we used to live in the city, there was a guy in our building that I think was dealing. He always looked high on something. I could go talk to him if he's still there."

"That sounds like a plan to me,' Cubby said. "Phil will get some of the Pot and we'll try it at the next ceremony!"

"Wonderful, I can't wait,' Dottie said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Everyone, remember to save room, we've got cake,' LuAnn announced.

* * *

The Watchtower

Clark walked into the small empty room and leaned against the table. Diana waited until the door closed before turning to look at him.

"Kal."

"Diana, before you start let me say I'd like to help you, I really would, I just can't right now."

Diana took a step towards him. Clark could see the determination in her eyes.

"You're my friend, aren't you Kal,' she asked.

"Yes, of course, Diana, that still doesn't change anything."

"I've never asked you for anything, have I, Kal,' Diana said, taking another step closer. "I've never asked you for a favor in the two years we've known each other, have I?"

"Well no,' Clark reluctantly admitted. Diana took another step closer.

"We're doing this Kal,' she said firmly. "I want to win so you're doing this."

"I can't Diana."

"You are, Kal."

"Diana,' Clark said in exasperation.

"Kal." She took another step closer to him.

"Diana." Clark crossed his arms in front of him. There was a point involved and he was going to dig his heels in on it. She took another step closer.

"Kal."

"Diana."

She took another step closer and was now less than a foot away from him.

"Kal."

"Diana."

"Kal."

"Diana."

She stepped forward once more and they were almost touching. Diana looked up into his eyes and held his gaze.

"Kal."

"Diana."

"Kal."

* * *

The Watchtower

The others were still talking about the bet when the door opened and Diana and Clark came back in. Diana had a triumphant smile on her face. Clark was rubbing his forehead as he dropped back into his chair.

"Okay, so I'm in,' he immediately said.

"Shocker,' Wally joked. Clark gave him a withering glance and Wally mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.

"The bet is on, Bruce,' Diana said.

"Fair enough,' he replied. "When would you two like to start?"

"As soon as possible."

"I'm going to need a little time to get things in order,' Clark said. " I guess I can take some vacation. If you gave me an interview Bruce, it would help me get the time off."

"I suppose I could do that.' Bruce reluctantly agreed.

"I can ask Kara and Steel to watch the city, but I'm going to have to be around so no one thinks I've disappeared. I can't just give up everything for a whole month."

"Since I'm sure I'm going to win, I'll make it that you two only have to go without your powers while in Gotham Heights, how's that,' Bruce asked.

"That seems fair,' Clark admitted.

"You're so sure, aren't you,' Diana scowled.

"Yes,' Bruce replied, a hint of a smile on his lips. Diana balled her hands up into fists, her anger just at the breaking point. Clark noticed this and quickly put his arm on hers.

"He's just trying to rile you up, Diana."

"He's succeeding."

"May-Maybe we should go over the rules of this,' Clark offered, hoping to change the subject. "I'm still not clear on any of it."

"It's simple, Clark,' Bruce said. "You and Diana spend one month in Gotham Heights without using your powers and you win. Oh, and it's a couples community so you're going to have to pretend to be husband and wife."

"Wh-What," Clark stammered.

"Husband and wife,' Wally repeated. "See this is where my theory kicks in. He usually has super hearing, yet just now he missed what Bruce said even though it was as clear as a bell. Two guys, I'm telling you."

"You're an idiot,' Zatanna replied. "Did you hear that?"

"They scoffed at Columbus too and then he found Ohio,' Wally retorted with a satisfied smile.

"That's so stupid I can't think of a word to describe how stupid it is,' Zee said.

"Genius always leaves people speechless."

"Moving on," Clark said with a shake of his head. "How exactly are we supposed to move into this place? I don't have the money to buy a house in the suburbs, never mind furnish one."

"I'll get the house,' Bruce replied. "I'll even set up a line of credit for Diana to furnish it."

"Why me,' she asked.

"The wife usually handles that,' Bruce smugly replied.

Diana started to stand, her fists clinched, but Clark grabbed her and Dinah spoke up.

"He's got a point Diana. You're the one with the taste so you should pick out what's in the house,' she offered.

"Gee, thanks, Dinah,' Clark replied.

"The first thing I'd get is a pool table,' Wally said.

"Case in point,' Zee added.

"If you're going to live there for a month, Diana, you want to be comfortable, don't you,' Dinah continued.

"I suppose,' Diana admitted. "All right, I will pick out the furnishings."

"I'll help if you want, Diana,' Zee offered. "I think it would be fun spending Bruce's money."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Diana replied. "I will be happy to furnish our house. Make sure it's a large allowance, Bruce."

"With in reason, Princess,' Bruce said.

"I'm from a different world, remember, Bruce,' Diana replied with a smile. "I'm used to expensive things."

"I think with that we should adjoin this meeting,' Dinah said. "You three can work out the details on your own."

Everyone got up and was heading towards the exit when a thought occurred to Wally.

"Hey, Supes, just out of curiosity what are you going to tell Lois?"

Clark's eyes went wide and then he dropped his face into his hands.

"Oh God, I forgot about Lois,' he groaned. "She's going to kill me."

"Don't be so negative, Kal, I'm sure she'll understand,' Diana said, patting him on the shoulder. "I have every confidence we will win and this will all be over in no time. There's only one thing I'm not sure about."

Clark didn't even look up from the table.

"And what would that be, Diana?"

"What exactly are the suburbs?"

Clark just groaned and laid his head down on the table. He could hear Bruce softly chuckle as he walked out of the room.

* * *

The Watchtower Observation Lounge – Later

Batman stood looking out the window at the view of Earth. The door behind him slid open and Zatanna walked in. Bruce didn't turn, but felt her move next to him. They stood there in silence for a moment and then she bumped him with her shoulder. He gave her a look but didn't say anything. Another moment passed and she bumped him again.

"What,' he finally said.

"What are you doing, Bruce,' she asked.

"I was spending some quiet time alone, but then you came in,' he replied.

"Don't be cute, I'm meant about earlier."

"What about it?"

"What was the rant about metas and non-metas all about?"

"Just a spur of the moment thing,' he offered.

"Come on, Bruce, I've known you forever,' Zee replied. "You don't do anything spur of the moment. You always have a plan, a reason behind everything you do."

"I'm hurt you would say that Zee,' Bruce sarcastically said.

"Ha-ha, so what's really up?"

"Different worlds.'

"Care to explain that to those of us that don't speak Batman?"

"Everyone thinks that's just an excuse I use, but it's not, Zee,' Bruce began. "Diana has only been out here for two years, but she thinks she knows. Most of them think they know the world I live in, but they don't."

"Gotham's your world, we get that,' she replied.

"You've known me for years Zee, but I'm not even sure you do, really,' Bruce said. "Diana, Shayera, Jonn, Clark even you, are people of the air, above everything for the most part. I'm a being of the ground, down on the pavement, hip deep in the filth I'm trying to fight. Yes, my world is Gotham, but it's more than that. It's the alleyways, the abandon houses, the grit and grime of the waterfront, the sewers and the darkness are part of my world."

"Sounds lovely,' Zee joked.

"It's my reality, Zee. Diana wants a relationship, but she doesn't understand what that means,' Bruce softly said. "If we were to be together, that's the world she would have to look forward to. From the sky everything looks so clean and clear, it's only from the ground you see how cruel and vicious the world really is."

"So this is a test?"

"You can call it that, if you want,' he replied. "It's just a way of showing her how different we are. She's lives in palaces and embassies, sees me living in a mansion and working in a skyscraper, but that isn't really my world, Zee. Maybe this little bet will open her eyes to just how different our worlds really are."

"But the suburbs?"

"I'm not so cruel I'd throw her right into Gotham, Zee,' Bruce joked.

"What about Clark? Isn't he kind of the wild card in this?"

"I'll admit he makes it more difficult to predict what's going to happen,' Bruce said. "I know as much about him as anyone, but he's still a bit of an enigma to me.'

"But?"

"There one thing I know about Clark that will never change,' Bruce replied. "He always has to help, anyone, anywhere. That's what I'm counting on and why I'll win."

"What if you lose?"

"If I lose, which isn't going to happen, maybe Diana understands a little better what it means to be with me."

"Would that be so terrible? Being in a relationship with her," Zee asked.

"No, of course not. I'm not made of stone, Zee. I see whatever one else sees when they look at Diana,' Bruce said. "I just can't have a relationship with someone that doesn't have their eyes open before it starts."

"Like Selina or Talia, huh?"

"We are not talking about them."

"Okay, don't go all Dark Knight on me,' Zee replied. "So if I understand this, you win either way?"

"You can look at it that way."

"I hope you lose the bet Bruce, for your sake,' Zee offered.

"Who did you bet on?"

"You,' Zee reluctantly admitted. "I hate that I did, but I figured you had some plan up your cape.'

"I guess you do know me pretty well,' he said with smile. He bumped her with his shoulder. Zee smiled and leaned into him.

"I just hope you figured this one right, Bruce or you might lose either way."

"Look at it this way, if I win, maybe you'll get your shot with Superman sooner rather than later,' Bruce teased.

"Oh, shut up,' Zatanna groaned, trying to cover her blushing.


	3. Chapter 3

Preparing for the Change

Metropolis – Daily Planet

The elevator doors opens. You step out. Voices assault you from all sides, as people rush back and forth. You are in the newsroom of a big city newspaper. Egos and voices tend to be considerable here; it's part of the job. It's a deadline business and if you haven't learned to push your way to the front you have no business being here.

An older man shouting Great Caesar's Ghost' attracts your eye, as does the fiery wisecracking and beautiful brunette reporter. The backslapping sports guy and the shameless flirt gossip reporter can't help being notice. If you're not careful and watching where you are going you might literal run into one of the young photographers. This will draw a droll barb from the beautiful reporter to be sure. You just hope it's directed at him and not you.

Everywhere you turn, someone or something demands your attention. It's survival of the fittest up here. There is one man that will go unnoticed as you move around the room, unless you are introduced to him, Clark Kent. For a passing moment you might wonder how he got there, but will forget him as the next larger than life character crosses your path.

Later, if someone mentions his name you have a vague recollection of him but couldn't describe him if your life depended on it. If you tried, soft words like mild, quiet, easy going would come to mind. Even his handshake would be indistinct, strong, yet not too strong, firm yet somehow not firm enough to grab your attention.

You would probably say he seemed like a likeable enough guy and let it go at that. He was just a face in the crowd, another of the thousands that seemed to blend into the woodwork and leave no impression. It would never occur to you that it was a deliberate act on his part because he pulls it off so seamlessly. He's been doing it for years.

You walk outside, your mind still buzzing from all the sights and sounds of the newsroom, when some shouts look up in the sky its Superman! Your heart starts to beat faster as you gaze up to see a crane has snapped it's cable and is plunging towards the ground. There's no time to run, to get out of the way. You feel as if your death is rushing towards you in the form of that huge falling machine and then it stops.

You stand with your mouth open as you witness what could only be a miracle. A man has flown down and caught it, saving your life. A man probably isn't the best description, as he seems more like a Demi-God descending from the heavens. He lands, setting the impossibly heavy machine down without breaking a sweat. You are caught up in the excitement like everyone else and rush towards him.

He is larger than life, massive in build, while impossibly handsome. People act like he's a rock star, screaming and shouting at him. He smiles a warm smile and takes the time to speak to everyone. For some reason you immediately like him, trust him and aren't threatened by the incredible gifts he's just shown. When he finally lifts off, soaring up into the heavens like an angel, you find yourself smiling. The world seems like a better and friendlier place knowing someone like that is in it.

Later, you can describe every detail down to the exact red of his cape. You chuckle and agree when someone suggest he's just an overgrown Boy Scout. Even the most cynical in the group has a hard time dismissing him. Few would believe that it's all a carefully crafted image, a deliberate act on his part because he pulls it off so seamlessly. He's been doing it for years.

In some ways even more remarkable is that fact that you would never think of Clark Kent and Superman connected in any way. In both cases, you only see what he wants you to see. That might be his greatest talent, the ability to appear to the rest of the world exactly as they would imagine a bumbling, shy reporter would be and in turn what a hero would be.

* * *

Clark Kent sits at his desk. A list of things he has to do is in front of him. People he's worked with for years might say hi, but for the most part he just blends in with his surroundings. It's second nature to him now.

He takes a pen and crosses off the second thing on his list, getting some time off. Perry White wasn't exactly happy about it, but when Clark handed him the exclusive interview with Bruce Wayne he agreed and quickly shooed Clark out of his office, while shouting to the pressroom.

Clark leans back in his chair staring at the first thing on his list, telling Lois. That's been number one on several lists for months now, but he still hasn't gotten around to it. He hasn't told her he's Superman.

He's meant to a hundred times and even started to tell her a hundred times, but something always comes up. Lately, things haven't been the best between them. The excitement of a new relationship has worn off and it's time for making commitments. She's made it clear where she stands on the matter. It's Clark that has been dragging his feet.

He's always been cautious by necessity, but even more so with his heart. He may be to the entire world the Man of Steel, but his heart is all too human. He gives it sparingly. He wants to give it to Lois, but it's his nature to be cautious. He's learned the hard way that every one of his actions has consequences for others. Because of who he is, those consequences can be fatal to them. Where others might see indecision and passivity on his part, it is really careful consideration for all the ramifications.

A large part of him wishes he could just go with his desires and wants. It is one of the things he liked and drew him to Lois, how she was all in with everything she did. There is a sense of life in abundance about her. He knew she'd had her share of heartaches and disappointments, but she hasn't let them stop her from taking new risks. It is the difference in their temperaments.

He still hadn't told her.

He knows it's frustrating to her. She is a woman that doesn't like to wait, for anything. She probably wonders whether he really trusts her, but that isn't the issue, it really isn't. He does.

Clark's been trying not to think about it since they started seeing each other. For once he just wanted to get the girl. As the months have passed though, he finds he can't deny it; being with him puts Lois in danger. The deeper they get involved, the more dangerous it is to her.

It's one of the things he's struggled with all his life. If you care for someone, how can you knowingly put her at risk?

The military has a phrase for it, collateral damage. It's a useful phrase for describing the cost of human life in a war. It makes it easier for the folks back home to swallow and get on with their lives. When the collateral damage is someone you care about the usefulness of the phrase falls apart.

Perhaps it would be different if he'd trained all his life like Diana or made a conscious decision to become a hero like Bruce. Maybe he'd be better equipped to deal with all the issues that came with being Superman. The truth is he never set out to be a hero, but just sort of drifted into it. With the gifts he had, using them to help others just seemed like the natural thing to do.

It was how he was raised; you offer a hand to someone that's fallen down.

He found he liked helping people. That's what had slowly pulled him deeper and deeper into the superhero life. It wasn't even the huge things that everyone seemed to focus on, but the little things. Others would scoff at the idea of rescuing a kitten from a tree for a little girl, but to Clark the look on the little girl's face when he returned her kitten was worth more than all the medals and honors. It was just a tiny piece of making a better world. That was what it was really all about for him, doing his part to make a better world.

Others might see him as Superman, a leader, defender of Truth, Justice and the American Way, but he didn't see himself that way. He did what he did, because he could. He was no different than the fireman or the doctor that risked their lives everyday to help others. Besides, he'd never quite understood that last part. He'd always thought Truth and Justice **_was_** the American Way.

Karma. The energy you send out to the world, good or bad, returns to you tenfold. If you want a better world than you have to do your part.

As he looked up, Clark saw Lois walking straight for him. He quickly put away the list. It wasn't Clark Kent that would have to tell her, it was Superman. He gave her his best farm boy smile as she stopped right in his doorway.

"Hey, Smallville, I just heard you're actually taking a vacation,' she said with a grin. "Finally decided to take that dream trip and see the world's biggest ball of twine? Maybe take in the 4H museum and the Cadillac Stonehenge too?"

"Nothing quite that exciting, Lois."

"Oh, come on, Clark I was only teasing,' she replied. "So where are you going?"

"Hmm? How's that,' he said, still a little reluctantly to tell her.

"I said where are you going on your vacation, Clark? These aren't difficult questions, Smallville."

"I just thought I'd take some time away from everything, you know, some place quiet,' he offered.

"Some place quiet for a vacation," she replied. "What are you like seventy, Clark? Have some fun, some excitement, go to Vegas or Cozumel, maybe even hook up with a woman you meet there."

"Yeah, that really wasn't in my plans where I'm going,' Clark nervously said.

"Come on, Clark, live a little.' Lois told him. "Have some fun. You're not still hung up on Lana are you? That was like years ago. You really need to move on and find yourself a girl. If you want I could ask around, I'm sure I could find someone that's your type."

"My type?"

"I'm just guessing, but a quiet, shy, wall-flower seems right up your alley,' Lois explained.

"Really," Clark replied. He sat back, crossing his arms and smiling at this. "So that's what you see as my type, huh?"

"Like I said, I'm just guessing, but yeah."

"Interesting. See, now I always saw myself with a really hot brunette, you know, very assertive to the point of being aggressive. Someone that spoke her mind even if she ruffled a few feathers. She'd be gorgeous by the way."

Lois just looked at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"In your dreams, maybe,' she managed to say. "Come on, Smallville, a woman like that would chew you up and spit you out."

"Gee, thanks Lois, you're always so kind,' Clark sarcastically replied.

"Oh, come on, Clark, I didn't mean it like that,' she offered. "I know you're a good-looking guy in a quiet sort of way. I'm not saying you couldn't go out with a woman like that, just that it would be nothing but trouble, believe me."

"I don't know I might surprise you, Lois."

"Clark trust me on this,' Lois said. "I know what a sweet and great guy you are, but what you're talking about is a man-eater. They wouldn't appreciate you for you. Trust me on this, you'll see I'm right."

Lois glanced down at her watch and realized she had an appointment.

"I've got to go, interviewing the Mayor in twenty. Oh, hey, nice job on getting Bruce Wayne to do any interview.'

"Thanks."

"It wasn't as hard-hitting as when I interviewed him, but if it boosts circulation it's a winner,' she continued.

"She giveth and she taketh away,' Clark muttered under his breath.

"What's that?'

"Um, ah, nothing, good luck with the Mayor."

"Thanks and if I don't see you before you leave, have a good time on your vacation,' she replied. "Try and have some fun, Clark. Maybe talk to a girl while you at whatever museum you're going to.'

"I'll think about it."

"Send me a postcard."

* * *

The Watchtower – Diana's Quarters

"Well?' Diana said as she stepped out from the bathroom dressed in a form fitting, knee length blue dress. "How do I look?"

"Like Wonder Woman in a blue dress,' Zatanna replied. Shayera smacked Zee and gave her a look.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You've said that about every outfit she's tried on,' Shayera replied.

"Well, she does!"

"Maybe if you use a little less make-up, Diana,' Mari offered.

"I don't wear any make-up,' Diana answered.

"God, now I hate her,' Dinah whispered. She saw Shayera turn towards her. "Don't even think about hitting me, cause you know I'll hit you back."

"Oh, really? I think being chairwoman is going to your head, Dinah,' Shayera replied. "You think you can take me? I'm a little more to handle than Huntress."

"We're inside, bird girl, those wings aren't going to help you here,' Dinah said.

"Okay, let's lower the estrogen a bit ladies,' Zee offered. "Any more of it floating around this room and one of us will get pregnant.'

"That makes no sense,' Mari said.

"I've been hanging around Wally too much,' Zee offered. "I'm just trying to get us back on point here. We are trying to help Diana blend in a little more so she can go out shopping for furniture, remember?'

Shayera and Dinah both reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you try something less glamorous, Diana,' Zee said.

"Very well.'

As Diana went back into the bathroom to change, Zee reached over and smacked Shayera.

"Hey, what was that for?'

"For hitting me earlier.'

"I thought we were supposed to be focusing on Diana,' Dinah asked.

"We are, but I'm not just going to let her get away with a free shot, come on,' Zee explained.

"Could you be any more juvenile,' Dinah groaned.

"Suddenly she's Miss Mature,' Shayera snidely commented.

Dinah held up two fingers only an inch apart.

"You're this close to being on my list, don't push it."

"What list? When did you start keeping a list anyway,' Shayera asked.

"It's my shit list, and believe me you don't want to be on it,' Dinah warned.

"Don't you mean your No. 2 list,' Zatanna joked.

Mari and Shayera laughed, but Dinah just glared at Zee.

"Okay, you just made, honey, I tried to warn you but you had to be a smartass.'

"Ooo, I'm so scared,' Zee sarcastically replied, wiggling her fingers in mock fright.

"Keep it up, funny girl, keep it up,' Dinah growled. "I'm already on the edge dealing with that imbecile Plastic Man, you don't want to push me."

"Maybe you should be the one taking some time off, Dinah,' Mari nervously suggested.

"Yeah, you've already threatened two of us, Di, what's going on,' Shayera asked

"Plastic Man,' Dinah admitted. "I just hate him! He's like fingernails on a blackboard. I really think I might kill him."

"That's a bit extreme, isn't it,' Zee asked. "You're chairwoman, remember? Just send him on some far away mission or something.'

"You think I could?"

"What's point of being chairwoman if you don't get to throw your weight around once and awhile,' Shayera suggested.

"You're right," Dinah said brightly. "There are all kinds of crappy missions and countries I could send him to. Thanks guys, you've really helped.'

"So does that mean I'm off your list,' Zee asked.

"I guess, but watch it,' Dinah replied.

The bathroom door opened and Diana stepped out again. She was dressed down, wearing just a pair of boots, jeans and a white blouse, but she still looked stunning.

"Well?"

"Don't you have any fat clothes,' Zee asked. "You know for when you're feeling a little bloated around that time of the month?'

"No."

"God, I really hate her right now,' Dinah groaned.

"Speaking of that time of the month,' Shayera whispered to Zee and Mari and then tilted her head towards Dinah.

"This close, Shayera, this close!"

* * *

Metropolis

Clark could hear the music and racket a mile away. As he walked towards his apartment, he knew Kara had arrived. Putting his key in the lock and opening the door, Clark is greeted with the sight of Kara bringing suitcases from his room, dancing to David Bowie's Queen Bitch.

"Hey cous! I almost have you all packed,' Kara shouted. "I'm just going to move my stuff into the big bedroom, I hope that's all right?"

Clark slowly closed the door and looked around the apartment and than at his cousin. He moved over and turned down the stereo to a more reasonable volume.

"Little loud, don't you think?"

"If the music's too loud, Clark, you're too old!'

"Nice to see you too, Kara,' he replied. "You do realize I'm not leaving forever, right? I'm going to be in Metropolis all the time."

He glanced down at the suitcases on the floor and realized that every piece of luggage he owned was sitting there. He tossed his keys on the table and sat down on the couch.

"Did you leave anything of mine here?"

"No, I figured you never know what you might need once you're living with Diana,' Kara said, moving over and dropping down next to him. "I got to say, nice move on that one, Clark. Shacking up with Diana for a whole month, you must have more game than I thought."

"It's not like that,' Clark complained. "It's just a stupid bet between her and Bruce. I got roped into it, that's all."

'Did she cry,' Kara asked.

"Yeah," Clark reluctantly admitted. 'Some Amazon warrior she turned out to be using emotional blackmail. The worst part, it was only one tear and I caved. I've really need to stop letting that happen.'

"You know when I was on Themyscira they taught that a true warrior uses every advantage at her disposal to win, so actually Diana was being faithful to her training,' Kara explained. She than smiled and put her arm around Clark. "Maybe when you two are alone, she'll make it up to you."

"I told you it's not like that, it's just a bet, besides, I think she's interested in Bruce."

"God, you are such a hayseed sometimes, Clark,' Kara replied. "You're spending a month alone as husband and wife with the most beautiful woman in the world and you're thinking about it as a bet? Come on, Clark, this is like a perfect hook up situation and it dropped right in your lap! Put the moves on the Princess!"

"Put the moves on her,' Clark repeated, looking at his teenage cousin. "You know I'm really starting to worry about you. Just what are you doing when I'm not here?"

"We're not talking about me, Clark,' Kara said with her sweetest smile.

"Maybe we should," Clark replied.

"You'd just be upset,' Kara remarked. "Now stop trying to change the subject. This is a golden opportunity for you so don't blow it. Diana's perfect for you, you just have to make your move. Oh, and don't try any of that Hicksville stuff on her, she's a Princess remember?"

"Smallville.'

"I know what it's called, I'm forced to live there, remember? I'm just saying if you're going to beat out Batman you've got have to play down the homespun Hee Haw image you have.'

'Basically go against my nature,' Clark suggested rather sarcastically.

"Exactly! You're playing right into Bruce's hands with that small town stuff,' Kara replied.

"Boy, today people are just doing wonders for my ego left and right,' Clark complained. "I've been told I'm a hick that should stick to wallflowers or I should pretend to be someone completely different than I actually am. I'm not sure I can take anymore help today.'

"Oh, come on, you know I'm right. Oh, I know, taking her flying, that's way cool,' Kara said. "I'd do it all the time if I could.'

"For your information, the bet is that we can't use our powers while we're in Gotham Heights."

"That's a stupid bet,' Kara replied. "If you can fly, why wouldn't you?'

"I didn't make the rules, I'm just stuck with them,' Clark explained. "OH, just to remind you, I'm sort of dating Lois, remember?"

"I like Lois, but you haven't told her who you are, so that really doesn't count. Give me a second to think of a way around those stupid rules,' Kara said. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Clark leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the music. It took a moment, but then an idea popped into Kara's head and she snapped her fingers. "I got it! Since you can't use your powers, take off your shirt as often as possible. I'm sure Diana will noticed that!"

Clark opened his eyes and gave Kara a look.

"Take my shirt off? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, trust me, that works on women,' Kara explained.

"Trust you, huh? I'm really starting to worry about you,' Clark replied. "I'm not sure I like the idea of my little cousin checking out guys with their shirts off."

"I'm not that little, Clark,' Kara said with a smile.

"Maybe I'll just ask Ma to stop up and check on you while I'm away."

"You wouldn't!"

"Yeah, I would,' Clark informed her. He gave her a smile and she frowned in return.

"Fine!" Kara grumbled and turned away from him. "See if I give you any more help hooking up with Diana, Clark!'

"That's the best news I've heard all day."

* * *

Gotham

The city in daylight looked so different from the city Bruce knew at night. Standing in his office, he had a panoramic view. It looked so deceptively clean from up here. This must be how Diana sees it, he thought.

Thinking of her brought back the bet and his conversation with Zatanna. The reason for the bet he'd given Zee was the truth, it just wasn't the whole truth. It was much more complicated than that.

Part of it was a genuine concern for metas and what their powers might one day do. It wasn't Diana or Clark he was worried about specifically, though one had to consider the possibility. Metas using their powers tended to pull them away from the very people they were supposed to protect. The further they got from the ordinary people, the less they would worry about how their actions impacted those same ordinary people.

The world should never come to rely too much on super powered heroes and neither should the Justice League. It became too easy to just assign Clark or Diana to a mission. Each member had to feel they were a vital part of the whole. The day would come when the threat was too big for even Clark and Diana to handle alone, so the others had to be ready.

That was his larger concern, but Bruce also had private concerns. He'd begun to wonder if there was still room in his life for a relationship like Diana would want. Of course he was attracted to her, but she wasn't the only woman he had those feelings for. Most would say he was one of the luckiest guys on Earth that women like Diana, Selina and Talia were interested in him.

It was just getting harder for him to see how any of them would fit into his world. He didn't think any of them realized something he'd noticed; with each passing day Batman was who he really was. Billionaire, playboy Bruce Wayne just seemed more and more to be a mask he took out now and then to maintain his cover. Most times Alfred had to pester him into doing it.

The struggle against the darkness meant he had to fight even harder. This meant being Batman took more of his time. Batman had become the central role of his life, his cause, and his mission. Being Bruce Wayne was something he could still do, but it was getting harder and harder to play that role.

He could foresee a time when he would be Bruce Wayne in name only, becoming Batman all the time. That was what it might take if he was ever going to succeed. If and when that happened, there would be no place in his life for a relationship with Diana, Selina, Talia or anyone else.

He wondered some times about his life. Batman had been born out of tragedy. Would he end in tragedy as well?

* * *

Gotham Heights

Phil Sawyer had managed to procure some marijuana for the group. They were currently passing the baggy around to look at it. Dottie opened it and took a sniff.

"That's smell awful,' she said. "Are you sure you got the right kind?"

"It's called Skunk weed the guy told me."

Dottie passed it to Jenny and she took a sniff.

"Didn't that have anything more pleasant,' Jenny asked. "Maybe a potpourri or something?"

"I don't think so,' Phil replied. "Frankly I was just thinking of getting out of there with my life. I had to go into this really scary neighborhood and then down into someone's basement. It wasn't furnished or even finished, just bare block. The smell was horrendous. It was like they filled an old tire with manure and set it on fire. I don't' think a thousand Stick-Ups would have masked the smell."

"Did you see Batman," Marie asked. "The papers say he hangs out in those sorts of places.'

"No, but it was daytime,' Phil replied. "There is no way I would ever go to a place like that at night."

"It would have been cool seeing Batman though,' Bob said. "When we lived in Gotham I thought I saw him, but it was only for a second."

"Cubby and I saw Superman once,' LuAnn offered.

"Really? What was he like,' Nancy asked.

"Huge,' LuAnn replied. "He must have been ten feet tall. He was just flying over, but you could tell he was a giant."

"He wasn't that big," Cubby dismissively said. "Maybe a big showoff like all those superheroes.'

"I'd like to see you tell him that,' Ted joked. "Or even better, Batman."

"What you think I'd be afraid to tell them what I think of them," Cubby scoffed. "Please, I'd have no problem telling them what blowhards I think they all are. _Look at me, look at me_, that's what they're all about and I'd tell them to their face if I every got the chance."

"Not likely to happen here in Gotham Heights," Clark said.

"Thank God,' Betty added. "We moved to the suburbs to get away from that sort of people. Just the thought of the Joker sends a chill down my spine."

"I think Superman's very handsome and sexy,' LuAnn offered. "I wouldn't mind if he rescued me."

"That would be exciting, "Jenny admitted.

"How about Wonder Woman rescuing you,' Ted joked. "Wow, that would be heaven!"

"I know what you mean, that outfit, Va-Va-Voom!' Cubby added. "She could rescue me anytime!"

"Oh, please, you can just tell she's high maintenance,' Marie snidely said. "She's a diva if I ever saw one.'

"Don't forget she's from an island of all women,' Dottie added. "I'm pretty sure they invented softball or something. No need for men with those gals.'

"So are we going to do the Pot or not,' Carl said. "I really put my life on the line getting it, you know."

"It's not going to make me freak out or something horrible, is it,' Jenny nervously asked. "I'm volunteering at the grade school as a crossing guard tomorrow."

* * *

Downtown New York City

Beauty, we all know it when we see it. There are levels of beauty and the higher you on the scale the more rare it is. True beauty might be within, but it's the outward beauty that stops traffic.

There are a rare few that are so gorgeous, so breathtakingly beautiful that they seem like another species. With only a smile they can turn normal adults into blithering idiots. You are so overwhelmed in that moment that you say something incredibly stupid like "you-you're pretty." Later you just want to kick yourself for being such douchebag and you were a douchebag. That's what rare beauty does to you.

The crowd stopped and stared as Diana entered the store. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing a rather shapeless dress with dark glasses, but it couldn't quite disguise what a stunning woman she was. To make matters worse, Dinah, Zatanna and Mari were with her. It wasn't exactly the most low profile group by any stretch of the imagination.

Every man and woman in the store seemed hypnotized by the four stunningly beautiful women. The manager wiped the sweat off his upper lip and the drool on his lower before approaching them.

"Pretty." The word came out of his mouth before he could stop himself. God, I'm such a douchebag, he thought and then did his best to salvage some of his dignity. "May-May I help you ladies?'

"We're just looking for now,' Mari offered.

"So are we,' one of the young clerks absently said. Dinah turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. The young man blushed under her gaze. Douchebag! The word screamed through his brain.

"See anything you like, Diana,' Mari asked.

"Yes, quite a few things to be truthful,' Diana replied. "This is the first time I've ever furnished a whole house, so I'm trying to figure out just what motif I want."

"Maybe you should ask Clark,' Zatanna suggested.

"Oh, I already did, he said to just pick whatever I liked."

"Typical man,' Dinah murmured.

"You are really starting to be a buzz kill, Dinah,' Mari said to her.

"I know, sorry."

"I like that lamp, it would look perfect in my apartment,' Zee said, already moving through the furniture department.

"Would you like to put it on Bruce's line of credit,' Diana offered with a smile.

"No, that's okay, I've got plenty of money,' Zee replied.

"Oh, that's right, you're rich," Dinah sourly said.

"That's right, I am,' Zee replied with a sweet smile.

"Buzz Kill, Dinah,' Mari whispered.

"Right, right, sorry, I think this job is finally getting to me,' she admitted.

"Try thinking of a happy thought," Mari suggested. "Plastic Man in Outer Mongolia.'

"I like it,' Dinah said, brightening at the thought. "Thanks Mari. Let's do some shopping!'

Diana was standing looking at a living room set that had caught her eye. She had to admit she was enjoying this. Back home or at the Embassy, she had some say in how things were furnished, but this was really the first time she had the chance to pick something just for her. Usually she had to consider her station on the island as Princess or at the Embassy as Ambassador, but here she was just Diana.

Her whole life had been a series of roles it seemed. From Princess to Champion, Wonder Woman to Ambassador, yet always underneath each of those roles was a young woman named Diana. She willingly played those roles, but there was a part of her that yearned to break free of them. It was the reason she was so excited about coming to the Man's world in the first place. It was also why the implication in Bruce's wager infuriated her so much.

She knew there were many things she needed to learn about the modern world, but she accepted that challenge. She understood some of them would cruel and brutal, but she wasn't afraid to face that side of life. She also wanted to explore who she was underneath all those roles. Themyscira might be a paradise, but she knew she would never really understand who she was if she stayed there.

It was only out here in the modern world, the Man's world that she would be able to explore and find out who Diana really was. There would be mistakes, embarrassments and misunderstandings, but that was the price of learning. To her that's what this bet was really about. Was she just those roles that everyone cast her in or was there something else, another person she was just starting to know named Diana?

All these thoughts were running through her mind as she let her fingers stroke the smooth cloth of the furniture.

"You have lovely taste, Miss, these are some of our best pieces,' the manager said. "Each piece is hand carved Brazilian Rosewood, very rare. The material is also hand made linen of the finest quality and has an excellent thread count. It's one of a kind.'

"I'll take it,' Diana said.

"Excellent! Which piece would you like to purchase?'

"All of them.'

"All-All-All of them,' the manager stammered. "I'm not sure if you realize this, miss, but this set is quite expensive. You won't find anything like this anywhere else. It truly is one of a kind. But if you are really sure…'

"I am, put them on this account," Diana replied with a smile. She held out a black Centurion card. The manager looked at the card and then beamed at Diana.

"Happy too, Miss and if there is anything else we can help you with, please just let us know!"

"While you're at it, add these too,' Dinah said, thrusting an armload of clothes at the man. The others turned to look at her.

'What? I'm just trying to get in the spirit of things and support Diana."

* * *

Metropolis

Lois Lane stood on top of the Daily Planet building gazing up at the sky. She lit a cigarette. She had pretty much quit, but right now she needed one. Superman had just flown off.

It seemed he was always flying off.

He told her he probably wouldn't be able to see her for a while. If he expected her to blown up and scream at him, he was surprised. Lois was tired of all that. She knew he had responsibilities, probably more than anyone else on the planet. She also knew he was a good and decent man. It was what attracted her to him in the first place. Okay, she admitted to herself, the handsome flying superhero was a major plus too.

Being with him used to make her feel so special, unique. Being in his arms flying over the city was an experience she treasured. It was such a kick, like out of some fairy tale that this literal super man was interested in her. For the first few months she was walking on air. This hero, Superman, that the whole world loved, was dating her.

For most people that should have been enough and for a while, Lois told herself it was enough. It was two years now they'd been together and she'd slowly realized it wasn't enough.

Some would probably call her selfish, but she wanted to be the most important person to the man in her life, just as he was in hers. That was how it was supposed to work. It was finally dawning on her that as much as he might love her, being who he was there would always be something more important in his life.

At first she'd tried to deny this and then she got angry, but eventually even that slipped away. She found she couldn't be angry with him for being who he was. She could try and believe the world didn't need Superman; she'd even sat down and written an article once on it. She never published it. Just as she was finishing it, a news report came on the television. A plane had lost its engines and was about to crash. Her heart went out to all the innocent people onboard and then there he was. He saved them.

She had looked down at her article with a sad smile and tore it up.

So here she was, alone again as he went off to do whatever. Maybe some time apart would be a good thing for both of them. Maybe it would allow them to make some decisions they had been avoiding.

Lois dropped the cigarette and stepped on it with her shoe. She glanced up at the sky one more time and then turned and went back into the building.


	4. Chapter 4

Relatives

"Meet & Greet"

Metropolis – Clark's Apartment

Diana had stopped to go over some of the details of the bet. Clark and Kara were on the couch and Diana was sitting across from them. She was dressed as a civilian, in a tailored suit. The coffee table between them was covered with papers, as Diana leaned over looking through them.

"Diana looks very nice today, doesn't she Clark,' Kara said. She elbowed him in the ribs, raised her eyebrows and tilted her head towards Diana.

"Yes, she does,' Clark said rather flatly. He gave Kara a look, but she only smiled in return. Diana looked up from her the papers and smiled at him.

"Thank you, Kal."

Diana absently brushed some of her curls behind her ear as she looked at Clark. He found himself returning her smile. They held each other's eyes just for a moment.

"Your welcome, Diana.'

When she looked down at the papers, Kara elbowed Clark again and winked.

"Don't you have something else to do, Kara,' he asked rather pointedly.

"No,' she replied. "Besides, this is fun. I don't mind helping you two."

"That's what I was afraid of,' Clark murmured. Kara stuck out her tongue at him and then smiled sweetly. The two had been having this running, non-verbal exchange since Diana arrived.

"Hera, one of the hardest things to get used to in the Man's World is the paperwork,' Diana mused. "It seems you need a form to do everything. Oh, here's a list of possible names for us to use when we go undercover, Kal.'

She handed it to him and Kara leaned into to see.

"Mike and Ima Hunt,' Clark read the first one on the list. He looked over at Diana. "Bruce came up with this?"

Kara gave a snort and then covered her mouth trying not to laugh. Diana looked at her in confusion before turning to reply to Clark.

"That was Wally's suggestion. Why?"

"Wally, it figures,' Clark said. He scanned down the list. "Let me guess, He also gave you the names Seymour Butts and Ben Dover, didn't he?"

Kara's face was bright red and tears were in her eyes as she pulled her lower lip between her teeth trying to hold back the laughter. Diana eyed Kara and then shifted her gaze towards Clark again.

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"It just sounds like something he'd come up with."

"I'll admit the name Ima Hunt didn't appeal to me,' Diana started. Kara couldn't hold it back anymore and slumped over on the couch giggling.

"What am I missing, Kal?"

"They are joke names, Diana."

Clark was doing his best not to smile too much, but Kara's laughter wasn't helping.

"Joke names," Diana replied. "What is so funny about the name Seymour But… oh, I see."

The look on Diana's face made Kara laugh even harder. She rolled over and fell off the couch; still giggling so hard she had to hold her stomach. Diana blushed with embarrassment and then anger crossed her lovely features.

"I will have to have a talk with Wally."

"Don't let it bother you, Diana, it's just a stupid old joke that's been around for years,' Clark offered. "It's like calling up a store and asking if they have Prince Albert in a can. It's just a harmless, juvenile joke."

"I don't get that joke either,' Diana admitted.

"It's just silly, don't worry about," Clark replied.

Kara's laughter was slowing down a bit and she sat up on the floor. She looked at Clark and held out her hand.

"Give me a hand, will you please, Mr. Hunt?"

Clark rolled his eyes as she giggled again. He helped her up and she sat next to him wiping the tears from her eyes. Kara glanced over and saw Diana wasn't amused.

"S-S-Sorry, Diana,' Kara managed to say. "You know it could be worse. He didn't put Dick Hurts on the list."

When Diana didn't crack a smile or even blink, Kara found herself very uneasy. Almost reflexively, Kara slid back and slightly behind Clark almost using him as a shield.

Clark reached over and took Diana's hand and gave it a little squeeze. This got her attention immediately. He did his best to give her a reassuring smile.

"Forget about that,' he gently said. "Why don't we just move on, okay?"

"All right, Kal,' she replied. Diana returned his squeeze, holding his hand just a little longer than necessary. When he pulled away, she found herself strangely disappointed, but quickly dismissed it.

"So forgetting Wally's suggestions for now, what names would you like to use,' she asked.

Clark looked at the list again. They were all fine, he supposed, but it seemed like a lot of unnecessary extra work.

"Why don't we just keep it simple,' he suggested. "How about Diana and Clark Kent?'

"Use your last name? Why," Diana asked. Coming from a matriarchal society as she did, the whole idea of the woman giving up her last name and taking the man's seemed strange to her. Some of her sisters had suggested it was another way for men to try and dominate women. While she didn't think that was Kal's reason, she was instinctively cautious.

"We don't have to, it was just a suggestion.'

"Because I'm in the Man's world doesn't mean I will follow all it's traditions Kal,' Diana informed him.

"I would never ask you to,' he replied. "I just thought the simpler the names; the easier it would be for us to remember them. Kent is a rather standard name and you already know it. I'd be happy to use your last name if that's what you want. Do you have one, Diana?"

Diana was caught off guard by the question. She'd never even considered it before. She had used Prince on a few occasions, but that would hardly be considered her true last name. On the island and at the embassy, she was just Princess Diana.

"Well no, not really,' she admitted.

"If you don't like the name Kent, we can use something else,' Clark suggested.

"I didn't say I don't like it."

"Use the last name Kent, Diana,' Kara urged. "I think Diana Kent sounds great. Just perfect, right Clark?"

He gave her another look, but she just smiled back at him.

"It's very nice."

"I guess it would be easier,' Diana said. "You already have so many names, Kal, I wouldn't want to confuse you any more than you probably already are."

"Thanks," Clark dryly replied.

"Clark and Diana Kent,' Diana repeated, letting it roll around in her mind. "Yes, I believe you are right, Kara, it does sound nice. Yes, we should use that, I agree."

"Okay, we have that settled, what's next,' Clark asked.

Diana pulled out another of the papers and blushed a little as she handed it to him.

"The marriage license,' she said softly. "It's not real. Bruce made it to complete the cover."

"So we just sign it, right,' Clark asked. He had been looking at the license and didn't notice Diana blushing.

"Yes."

"Seems simple enough,' he said. Taking his pen, he quickly signed his name on the dotted line and held out the pen for her. "Your turn, Diana."

As Diana took the pen from him, she felt unexpectedly nervous. It wasn't real she told herself, but signing her name on the dotted line next to his on a marriage license seemed to unsettle her. Glancing up at Clark, she saw him smiling at her. She returned it. Taking a deep breath, Diana wrote her name on the form. When she finished she sat there looking at it for a moment. Diana Kent, she did like the sound of that.

"Hoorah! You are officially pretend married,' Kara shouted. "We should have champagne or something."

"You're not old enough,' Clark told her.

"But my only relative just got married,' Kara teased.

"Aren't you going out with Courtney or something,' Clark replied.

"No, she's busy tonight, so I'm free to help you two."

"I don't think that's necessary.' Clark started to say, but Kara cut him off.

"A picture! You have to have a picture of you two together,' she shouted. "Every married couple I know has a picture. I'll get my camera, you two stand together over there!"

"What married couples do you know,' Clark asked.

"Plenty,' she fired back. "Now stand with Diana, Clark!"

Before he could protest she was up and out of the room. They could hear her rummaging around, looking for her camera. Clark turned to Diana and she seemed unsure about what to say.

"Don't mind, Kara, Diana, she gets carried away sometimes,' he offered.

"I wasn't think about that, Kal,' Diana replied. "I was thinking a picture might be nice. I know this isn't real, but once we are living together, we will have to have some pictures of us together. I would imagine people will ask how we met and those sorts of questions, don't you agree?"

"Yes, I guess they will,' he admitted. "So you want to take a picture?"

'Yes,' she said. "I don't believe I have a picture of the two of us together. I've known you two years, but don't have any pictures of you really."

"I didn't know you wanted a picture of me," he replied. "Okay, if you want to do this, I'm game."

Kara rushed back into the room, holding her camera.

"Clark get over there!"

"Okay, relax, we're going to let you take a picture,' he said. Standing he moved over towards Diana. She stood up and they both turned towards Kara.

"Move closer together."

They hesitantly moved a little closer.

"Closer."

They looked at each other with nervous smiles and moved a little closer together.

"Closer."

"Kara."

"It's supposed to be a husband and wife photo, Clark, not a police lineup,' Kara replied. "Move closer to your wife."

With a sigh, Clark moved over a little more and now he and Diana were touching shoulders.

"Put your arm around each other."

Diana nervously glanced at Clark and then put her arm tentatively around his waist. Clark glanced down at her and then slowly put his arm around her shoulder.

"Lean a little more into him, Diana,' Kara instructed, as she looked through the camera at the two of them. Diana licked her lips nervously and then leaned into him. She could feel Clark's muscular chest against her and was suddenly very aware of being so close to him.

"Smile!'

They both managed something that resembled a smile just before the flash went off.

"Stay there, I want to get couple more,' Kara quickly said. She shifted a little closer, keeping the camera trained on them the whole time.

"Now look at each other."

Both turned their heads at the same time and were suddenly looking into the other's eyes. Nervous smiles came to both their lips and then the flash went off again.

"Now kiss,' Kara instructed.

"Okay, Annie Leibovitz, I think we're done with the photos,' Clark replied. He took his arm from around Diana and stepped back. She dropped her arm and took a step away also. Diana glanced at him, feeling rather unsettled by the experience but not sure why. It was only a photo she told herself.

"How about one of the two of you in your costumes kissing,' Kara teased. "We could sell it to the tabloids and pay for your whole pretend wedding with the profits!"

"How bout not,' Clark replied.

"You're no fun,' Kara grumbled.

As these two bantered away, Diana nervously straightened her suit, trying to get her mind off being so close to Clark. Seeking a distraction, she tried to focus on the paperwork again. Suddenly it seemed rather unimportant to her. Glancing at her watch, Diana saw how much time she had spent here.

"Oh, I didn't realize it was this late,' she gasped. "I'm supposed to meet the movers in fifteen minutes! Our furniture is being delivered to the our house."

"I could fly down there if you want," Clark offered.

"No, I will take care of it,' Diana replied. "I know just where I want everything so I have to be there to supervise."

"Well, if you need any help, just ask."

"Thank you, Kal and Kara, please make sure to give me copies of those photos."

"No problem."

"There was one more thing before I leave,' Kal,' Diana said.

"Oh, what's that?"

"I went to Themyscira yesterday to get someone to help out at the Embassy while I'm away,' Diana explained. "I told my mother all about the bet and how you and I will be living together. She would like to see you as soon as possible, tomorrow, in fact."

"Wh-Wh-What?"

"She wants to talk to you, Kal,' Diana repeated.

Kara defensively put her arms around Clark.

"Doesn't she hate all men,' she asked.

"I wouldn't say hate exactly, Kara,' Diana replied. "It's more a suspicious distrust of them. With what happened to her and my sisters you can understand why."

"She wants to talk to me,' Clark repeated.

"Yes, tomorrow, Kal,' Diana confirmed. "She was quite adamant about it. If you'll meet me at the Embassy we can go together."

"Couldn't I just call her or something?'

"He has unlimited minutes and no roaming charges, " Kara added. "With the new technology it's like you're right there in the room."

"Good point, Kara, I think calling is the way to go here,' Clark quickly said.

"My mother doesn't have a phone, Kal,' Diana informed him. She was already packing up her things and getting ready to leave for Gotham Heights.

"Couldn't we buy her one?"

'Tomorrow, Kal,' Diana said firmly. "She only wants to talk to you. Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say," Kara muttered.

"You're telling me,' Clark whispered to Kara.

"I hope two in the afternoon is all right, Kal,' Diana said. "Oh, and don't be late. My mother hates people being late."

Diana was at the door and she smiled at him before she left.

"Don't worry, Kal, I told her all about us living together so there shouldn't be any problem with you talking to her. Goodbye Kara. Kal, I'll see you tomorrow!'

Diana gave a little wave and then left the apartment. Clark stood there for a moment, running his hand through his hair. He was still trying to process what had just happened.

"Boy, I wouldn't want to be you, Clark,' Kara said. "Shacking up with the Queen's daughter, she's going to be so pissed!"

Clark just shook his head and then dropped down on the couch.


	5. Chapter 5

Visiting

"Whatever you do, don't call her Mom"

Themyscira

Queen Hippolyta slowly paced back and forth in her throne room. Her hands were behind her back as she tapped one against the other. The only other person in the room, General Phillipus stood patiently. Since hearing the news from Diana about her 'bet', the Queen had been unable to get passed one small detail, Diana living as wife and husband with Superman.

She might be two thousand years old and Queen of the Amazons, but she was also a mother, a very protective mother. Her natural instincts had always been to protect Diana, as she was too precious to the Queen. Even the thought that something might happen to her was intolerable to Hippolyta.

Diana had been an answer to a prayer, one she had repeated so many nights for all those years. A child of her own, one she could shower with all the love in her heart. She had almost given up hope, when the Gods finally chose to answer the prayer. A daughter, even now thinking back on the first time she held Diana in her arms brought a smile to Hippolyta.

Watching her grow into a beautiful, loving and caring young woman had been the best years of Hippolyta's life. In front of her people she had to maintain her detachment and honor her station and role in society, but in private she let no such distance come between them. All the love in her heart she gave to her daughter.

Daughters grow up.

Hippolyta certainly knew this and for the most part tried to encourage Diana. From what she remembered of the Man's World, women were always running into limits, boundaries and assigned roles. Women were supposed to know their place. Hippolyta had made sure nothing of the sort happened on Themyscira. All of her sisters were encouraged to pursue their full potential wherever it might lead them.

Diana's had led her off the island and out into the Man's World as their champion and Wonder Woman. Although she wasn't pleased with this development that took her daughter away from her, Hippolyta tried to be supportive. Perhaps the world outside had changed after all these years, she tried telling herself.

Men were another matter. It had only taken one trip to visit Diana in the Man's World for Hippolyta to see men for the most part were still too often ruled from below the belt rather than above the collar. Being a beautiful woman herself, Hippolyta recognized those looks in men's eyes. They were as old as time and from her experience spelled trouble for any woman. The fact that Hippolyta saw those looks directed at her daughter certainly didn't improve her view of men.

She had tried to instill in Diana the Amazons rightful suspicion of men. Every one of their sisters had suffered unspeakably at the hands of men and the Queen's greatest fear was the same happening to her daughter. Unfortunately, the young think they know better. Diana hadn't suffered those same abominations, so her natural loving nature led her to give men a chance when she went out into their world.

She joined teams with them, socialized with them, even allowed men to take her out on dates. Hippolyta had lashed out, forbidding Diana form associating with men, but it had done no good.

Diana was head strong and hardheaded. She rebelled against these demands, arguing that if she were to bring the Amazon way of peace to the Man's world, she couldn't be afraid to interact with men. 'Interact', the Queen scoffed, they had a different name for it in her day.

The more they argued the more Diana dug in her heels. Hera, where did her daughter get that stubborn streak from, Hippolyta wondered? She knew if she kept pushing, Diana would pull away from her. That was something she never wanted, an estrangement between them. In the end, the Queen knew she would not win the argument and had to give in.

Now this new situation had presented itself. Superman. She may be two thousand years old but she was still a woman. When she had first met him, she saw the same things every woman would see. He seemed unaware of his physical beauty and that was enticing in it's own way to Hippolyta. The fact that he was respectful, polite with a quiet charm weren't lost on her either. She knew immediately many women would desire him.

Hippolyta didn't want her daughter to be one of them. Alarm bells had gone off when she saw Diana and Superman together for the first time. It wasn't hard to see there was a natural attraction between them. He conjured up memoirs of the first time she'd seen Heracles. Yes, their temperaments were different, but Heracles had been charming and polite at first too.

Diana was still so new to the Man's World, Hippolyta mused. There were so many things she didn't understand. Her trusting nature would be used against her if she weren't careful. Hippolyta knew Diana believe she could handle any threat, but once long ago, Hippolyta had thought that way about herself. She had paid for that false belief. The scars had faded long ago, but the memories were still there.

Through this 'bet' Diana was naively putting herself in a compromising position. The Queen had tried to point this out but her daughter had dismissed it, saying, "Kal was like that."

Kal wasn't like that, the Queen irritably repeated in her head. Now it was 'Kal' instead of Superman. Hippolyta certainly didn't like that development at all. I wish she was still young enough I could just lock her in her room until she gets this idea out of her head, Hippolyta thought. Unhappily, the Queen sat back down on her throne and crossed her arms in dissatisfaction.

"Why does my daughter had to be so stubborn,' she said out loud.

"Perhaps it runs in the family," Phillipus offered. The Queen slowly turned her head and gave her old friend an angry look.

"Are you suggesting she inherited it from me, General,' Hippolyta asked. She pointedly emphasized General.

"Pardon, my Queen, I thought you were asking for suggestions,' Phillipus replied. She bowed subserviently. "I did not mean to overstep my place, your Majesty."

"Oh, stop with the 'my Queen' and 'your Majesty', Phillipus, we've known each other too long to use such titles in private."

"That is true, Hippolyta,' the General replied. "We also know each other well enough that I can see this news from the Princess is not to your liking."

"No, it's not,' Hippolyta admitted. "I'm just not sure what to do about it."

"You could forbid her,' Phillipus suggested. "You are still her Queen, as well as her mother."

"And what do you suppose my daughter would do if I did," Hippolyta asked.

"Knowing Diana, she would do it anyway,' Phillipus admitted.

"Exactly."

"So you're going to put the fear of the Gods into Superman?"

"It's an idea," Hippolyta replied. "I was thinking more of the fear of an angry Amazon Queen and Mother, actually."

"It might work, he does seem very deferential towards women,' Phillipus said.

"Yes, I've noticed that as well, but…"

"He reminds you of Heracles,' the General completed the Queen's thought.

"Yes and no," Hippolyta confessed. "He has the looks and power of a Demi-God, yet from all I've seen he doesn't act like one. I've listened to Diana's stories about him for any clues to his nature, but he is still something of a mystery."

"How so?"

"He grew up on a farm and masquerades as a average human most times. Diana says he is so good at it he blends into any crowd. I find myself wondering why he would do that? With his powers, why would he hide in plain sight? I have seen him interviewed and he never offers opinions on any of the issues of the day. He's always neutral, saying he's working for all humans not any one group."

"You would think with his powers he would be able to impose his will on the world,' Phillipus mused.

"Yes, but he doesn't,' Hippolyta replied. "Stranger still, in his disguise, he has courted several normal women, never using his powers to win them over. From what Diana tells me, he doesn't even tell them he's Superman."

"Never?' The General found this hard to believe. "That is most strange."

"It makes me wonder, if he is so good at putting on masks, how do we know Superman isn't just another mask?"

"And yet, to what end would he do it,' Phillipus asked. "I could see deceiving the world for a short while to further your goals, but he is already acclaimed everywhere."

"As I said, a mystery,' Hippolyta said.

"So will you still try to get your message across to him at the point of a sword?"

"I've been considering it,' Hippolyta replied. "I would imagine an implied threat would be better. Let him imagine what might await if he tries anything with Diana."

"Imagined threats are always more effective than real threats,' Phillipus agreed.

"That still leaves the matter of Diana. I could see she was so focused on winning this 'bet' she hadn't considered that the real danger might lie somewhere else."

"She is a true Amazon, Hippolyta,' Phillipus offered. "She will not back away from a challenge"

"Yes, I know." A mother's pride swelled within Hippolyta as she considered this.

"There was something else I noticed,' Phillipus said. "The one that made the challenge, this Batman, Diana's voice was very vehement when she spoke of him."

"You think she has feelings for him too,' Hippolyta asked. "It seems this situation grows worse by the moment."

"He is an attractive man from all reports,' Phillipus replied. "It would only be natural for her to be interested."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"True but it also plays into what you were worried about with Diana. If she's attracted to this Batman, it would only make her more focused on winning the challenge."

"Perhaps what she really needs is something to bring home the nature of what she is getting into,' Hippolyta said. A small smile appeared on her lips as an idea began to form.

"You have thought of something, haven't you,' Phillipus asked.

"Yes, perhaps we are approaching this all wrong,' Hippolyta replied. "The more I protest and argue with Diana, the more she will stubbornly dig in her heels."

"Like mother, like daughter,' Phillipus absently said.

"Very amusing, General,' Hippolyta replied. "You might be right, I can be stubborn, but I am also a Queen and leader of the Amazons. I've learned in battle to be flexible with my tactics. If the head-on approach isn't working, you adapt."

"I take it you have a plan?"

"Yes, and I will need your help to pull it off."

"As always, I'm at your service, my Queen."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Sounds of the Sixties from the Time-Life Music Club played on the stereo. It had taken several false starts, the remains of quite a few ripped rolling papers attested to this, but finally the group figured out a way to smoke the Pot.

Jenny remembered that someone at the college party had used a pipe. At first this wasn't much help, but then Cubby remembered he had a corncob pipe from a Halloween costume somewhere. After much searching, they found it among some boxes in the attic.

After a lot of coughing and comments about how it burned their throats, they managed to choke down enough smoke for the Pot to take affect. They didn't notice it at first and began to wonder if the dealer had sold Carl the right stuff or just ripped him off. They were all silent for a few minutes, disappointed that it hadn't worked.

"I can see my nose. I never noticed it before."

It seemed like a strange thing for Dottie to say to the others, but they let it go. It wasn't until they noticed Ted had been staring at the reproduction of Grant Wood's American Gothic that hung on Cubby's wall for a long time that they realized something was amiss.

"I take it you like that there picture, Ted,' Cubby asked.

"They're staring into my soul," Ted whispered.

"I think he's high,' LuAnn said.

"That means we're all going to be high,' Jenny nervously said. "Oh, God, please, don't let me freak out and jump out of a window or something!"

"It's a ranch house, Jenny," Cubby replied. "The windows are like five feet off the ground."

"You know, Dottie is right," Phil said. "I can see my nose too."

"I never noticed how long my toes are,' Nancy commented. "They look more like fingers than toes. Can I borrow a knife and fork, Luann? I want to see if I can eat with my toe fingers?"

"Sure."

Everyone soon noticed they were high.

* * *

Gotham Heights - Across the street

The moving van backed into the driveway and three rather large, burly men climbed out. Standing at the front door waiting for them was Diana. When they saw her they stopped in their tracks, mouths open.

"You-You pretty,' one of the men involuntarily said.

"Um, thank you," Diana replied to the strange comment. "If you could just bring the things into the house I'd appreciate it."

"Um, ah, yeah, of course," the man managed to say. Inwardly he was kicking himself for being such a douchebag. You pretty, what the hell, he thought? He glanced at the two men with him and saw the beautiful woman standing at the door was having he same affect on them.

"Put your tongues back in your mouths, boys, don't embarrass me,' he said to them. Both men faces turned a deep shade of red with embarrassment.

"Is there a problem,' Diana asked.

"NO! No ma'am, we were just admiring … um, ah, the house, yes that it, the house,' the first man said.

"Spectacular,' one worker added.

"The most beautiful wo-house I've ever seen," the other said.

"Well, thank you,' Diana said with a smile. The three men grinned in return.

"So, the furniture?"

"Oh, right, right," said the first man. Pulling themselves away from the unbelievably beautiful woman, they opened the cargo door and started to unload the truck.

As they struggled to carry the large plastic wrapped items up the walk, Diana was a little frustrated. She could have easily carried all of it in herself in no time, but that would draw the notice of the neighbors. It would ruin the bet before it began. Reluctantly, she knew she would just have to supervise. Well, at least they seem friendly, she thought.

It was an agonizingly slow process for her. She repeatedly had to ask them to please be careful, as they didn't seem to be watching where they were going. Still they were very helpful, moving several of the heavier pieces again and again until they were just right in her mind. They brought in several of the smaller boxes and Diana dug right in.

Diana heard music from one of the houses across the street and guess they were having a party. Five in the evening seemed a little early to her, but she put it done as just the different customs of the suburbs. She slipped off her outer shirt and began placing some of the smaller items around the main room. Apparently the movers were religious, she thought, because on their next trip they each said something like 'Holy, God Almighty!'

The fact that she was just wearing a tee shirt and rather form fitting jeans hadn't occurred to her.

When they finally finished, Diana thanked them all and they gushed that it was a pleasure. They seemed to take a long time packing up and leaving, but eventually they pulled out of the driveway. She smiled and waved, which they all returned. The driver had to slam on the brakes, as he wasn't paying attention the road and nearly plowed into a tree.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Across the Street

Sly & the Family Stone's 'Everyday People' blared from the stereo. Phil was playing air guitar while Bob joined him on air drums. Betty and Dottie were arm in arm singing along with the song. Unfortunately, they didn't know the words, but it didn't stop them. Cubby and LuAnn were horizontal on the couch making out in their own little world. Nancy was trying to hold a knife and fork with her toes and cut a Lil' Debbie snack cake in half. Carl and Marie sat next to her urging her on.

Jenny sat by herself, glancing all around her. In her head, a million thoughts seemed to be running at once.

_I think I'm stoned, but why is that speaker pulsing like that? What was the name of the middle girl on Full House? I'd love a snowcone right now. I'll bet a could jump over that chair pretty easily. I wonder where my old boyfriend from high school, Lance is right now. He had that cool Camero we use to make out in. I'd love to have that car, I'd name it Moonbeam. I hate my hair. I wish it was bleached blond. I could change my name to China or something cool and start wearing all sort of hats. China, nice Camera, people would say to me. Is Lindsay Lohan still in jail?  
_

Ted was also sitting silently just staring off into space. He was getting a little paranoid.

_I haven't said anything in forever! Everyone must have noticed by now. They must think I'm crazy or something! Am I crazy? How would I know? Would I even realize if I was crazy? Crazy people probably think they are normal as anyone else? So if I think I'm going crazy doesn't that mean that I'm not? Is everyone staring at me? Oh, God, I still haven't said anything!_

As the song ended and another began, Phil and Bob happened to glance out the front window. The moving van was just pulling away from the big house across the street. They had been so into their 'air' playing they hadn't even noticed it before. They watched as it nearly ran into a tree and then their eyes drifted back to the house. They saw Diana for the first time.

"Pretty.' The word came tumbling out of Phil's mouth before he knew it.

"She pretty,' Bob added.

* * *

Gotham - Later

Bruce sat at his computer in the Batcave going over his files. He was updating some, reviewing others, while looking for connections he hadn't seen before. His cowl was down, but he was still in Batman mode after returning from his patrol. He sensed her before he actually heard her.

"Hello, Diana, what brings you here,' he asked, not looking away from the computer.

"Our bet,' she replied.

"Oh, right, I got the bill for your little shopping trip,' he said, finally turning toward her. "You have expense tastes, Princess."

"Different worlds, remember, Bruce," she fired back at him with a smile.

"Oh, I remember."

"I just wanted to let you know that the bet will start in another day or so."

"There's still time to call it off, Diana,' Bruce offered. "You can just admit you were wrong and no one will know except you and me."

"Not going to happen, Bruce,' she stated firmly. "I look forward to watching you have to take that uniform off. Two weeks, it must seem like an eternity to you, doesn't it? How will the city survive if Batman isn't always there?"

'Nice, Princess,' he replied, giving her a mocking smile. "If you're so certain you'll win, should we up the bet? Say you take my shifts for four months? Oh, and how about you admit publicly on the station that I won?"

She held his gaze, anger building up within her, but she stayed calm. Diana let a smile cross her lips as she looked at him.

"And if I win? A month of not wearing that uniform," she offered. He flinched just a little at the thought, but she saw it and her smile grew.

"All right, but I'm not going to lose, Princess,' he finally replied.

"We'll see.'

"If you're so confident, why not start the bet tomorrow,' he asked.

"I would, but my mother has asked to speak with Kal first,' she informed him.

"Your mother? She wants to speak with Clark,' he said, the surprised plain in his voice.

"Yes, she wants to talk with him."

"Poor bastard,' Bruce muttered. "I think I'm going to owe Clark more than just an interview."

* * *

Themysciran Embassy – The Next Day

Clark had been circling overhead for the last five minutes. He knew Diana was waiting down there for him, but the truth was he didn't want to land. He'd been thinking about this 'talk' with Queen Hippolyta all night and was dreading it. He'd met her before and while she seemed like a lovely, reasonable woman, somehow he didn't think that would be the case today.

As Kara had so eloquently put it, "he was shacking up with her daughter." Even if it wasn't like that and only because of this stupid bet, he was having a hard time imagining the Queen taking it well. Visions of magical swords and axes aimed strategically at one part of his anatomy had been running through his head all night.

Diana was his friend and he wanted to help her but that had its limits. While it was true he probably could never have a family with a normal human woman, he certainly wanted to try. The idea of fighting off a whole nation of bloodthirsty Amazons enraged by the thought he was going to defile their Princess certainly put those plans in doubt.

Maybe he could just call Diana and beg off visiting her mother today. There must be a crisis somewhere in the world he could use as an excuse? If that didn't work, he could always say Kara was sick and he didn't want to leave her alone. As long as he stayed out of range of Diana's lasso he could probably pull it off and she wouldn't know he was lying.

"Are you just going to circle around up here all day, Kal?"

He had been so preoccupied with trying to come up with an excuse he hadn't heard her approach. Damn it, he thought, I was sure I was high enough so she couldn't see me.

"Kal?"

He turned to face her. She was just hovering in front of him wearing her Wonder woman costume. She was smiling at him.

"Hey, Diana,' he said. "I was just wondering any chance we could postpone this?"

She didn't answer, but the smile vanished from her lips.

"Yeah, that's what I thought,' he said. "Okay, let's get this over with."

The smile returned to her face and they headed down to the Embassy. She gave her staff last minute instructions as he stood looking at the portal in dread. She came up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be so nervous, Kal, everything's going to be fine."

"You are always so optimistic,' he replied half-heartedly. "Lead the way.'

The two of them stepped through the portal and they appeared in the central hall on Themyscira.

"Wonderful, you are right on time,' Mala said as she greeted them. Diana and Clark stood looking around them in confusion. The entire hall was decorated with flowers. Silk ribbons and bunting gently rippled in the warm breeze. It seemed all the Amazons were waiting for them to arrive. There was center aisle and at the top of it, standing in front of her throne was Hippolyta. She wore all the vestments of her position as Queen. An honor guard lined the outer walls of the hall. Everyone was looking at Diana and Clark.

"Mother? What is going on," Diana asked.

"A wedding, Diana,' Hippolyta replied with a smile.

"A wedding? Whose,' Diana asked in confusion.

"Why the two of you, of course."

"What?" Diana gasped.

"Wh-What,' Clark stammered.

"I knew I couldn't talk you out of this 'bet' you are involved in, so I reluctantly find I must agree to it,' Hippolyta explained. "While you say you are just pretending to be wife and husband, you will still be living and acting as a married couple. As an Amazon, Diana, you know we are against lying, which this would be. Also, as Queen and your mother, I can't allow you to live together without being wed at least for the time you share in this 'bet.' Since I can't talk you out of it, the only alternative is for you and Superman, or Kal-El, as he is properly know, to be married according to Amazon law for the duration of this 'bet' Diana."

"Mother! You can't be serious,' Diana gasped.

"But I am,' Hippolyta calmly replied. "You wouldn't listen to me and call this 'bet' off so I'm forced in my role as Queen to make sure your marriage is legal, Princess Diana."

The emphasis she placed on the word 'Princess' wasn't lost on Diana. She knew her mother was against this, but hadn't expected her to be this devious and clever. By invoking Diana's title, Hippolyta had made it a Queen versus subject matter rather than a mother versus daughter argument. If Diana refused, she would be going against her Queen in front of all her sisters. Anger rose up within Diana as she realized her mother had cleverly outmaneuvered her. She had left Diana with two choices, give up the bet or marry Kal.

Hippolyta stood looking at her daughter, a serene smile on her face. She hadn't been Queen of the Amazons all this time without having mastered the art of court politics. Whichever way Diana decided, Hippolyta would get what she wanted.

"Of course, the marriage will only be binding while you two are living together,' she added. "It would be like an engagement in your world Superman, just an engagement."

It all seemed surreal to Clark. He'd prepared for a threat, and while there was one in that last message about it only being an engagement or in other words, no consummation, he was total unprepared for this. He slowly ran his hand through his hair as he looked around. What the hell have I gotten myself into repeated over and over in his mind?

"What say you, Princess Diana of Themyscira,' Hippolyta calmly asked.

Diana glared at her mother, knowing she had been put on the spot. While it was true, Diana had the wisdom of Athena among her gifts from the Gods, this wasn't about wisdom, but a test of wills between mother and daughter. Like mothers and daughters everywhere throughout time, rash decisions are made in the heat of the moment.

"Fine!" Diana practically growled. "I, Princess Diana of Themyscira say yes, my Queen! Let the wedding begin!"

"Wh-Wh-What the hell?"

It was Clark's voice that spoke up. There was a look of complete confusion and perhaps a little panic on his face. As he glanced from Diana to Hippolyta, he was slowly backpedaling. The point of one of the honor guard's spears suddenly stopped him.

"Can we talk about this?"


	6. Chapter 6

Falling Down Hill

"So What Say Thee?"

Themyscira

Diana ushered a completely flustered Clark Kent into a small anteroom off the main hall. She closed the door and turned to him.

"She's bluffing, Kal."

He was still trying to wrap his head around all of this and just looked at her incredulously.

"I don't think she is, Diana!"

"I believe I know my mother a little better than you do," Diana pointed out.

"So you saw this coming and didn't warn me,' he asked, running his hand through his hair, his eyes wide in shock.

"Well no," she admitted. "It was a surprise to me as well, but like I said I know her. My mother is a very wise and clever woman. She has backed me into this corner and doesn't expect me to call her bluff. "

"And what if she isn't bluffing, Diana? Have you considered that?"

"We would marry, but if I'm right she'll back down and everything will be fine."

"That's a pretty big if, Diana,' He exclaimed.

"I know but we would only be married for a month, Kal."

"Yeah, wasn't really expecting that when I came today,' he said in exasperation. "I'm mean I was ready for something like "touch my daughter I turn you into a eunuch' but marriage? That's asking a lot, Diana!"

Clark scanned the room seeing if there was another way out. This was all too much for him to take right now and he had a desperate need to be anywhere else.

"Maybe there's another way we can get out of this." He turned towards her thinking on the fly. "I could just take off, run for it. No one on this island could catch me. I hit the beach and fly away. Sure, it's not the most heroic thing to do, but sometimes you have to run away to fight another day as the saying goes."

"There's a magical barrier around the island, Kal, you know that,' Diana relied. "You couldn't fly out unless it's opened for you."

He tapped his thumb against his bottom lip as he tried to formulate a plan.

"Maybe I could swim,' he offered. "I'm no Aquaman, but I'll give it a shot. Oh, I got it! I could tunnel my way out! You watch the door while I move this table. I can go right down through this floor."

Diana stood staring at him, her arms crossed and a very unhappy look on her face. While she wasn't a vain person, she did have a healthy ego. The idea that he would rather tunnel through the earth than marry her wasn't sitting so well.

"Is it such a horrible idea to be married to me, Kal? Am I understanding you right,' she asked, a bit of her temper slipping through. "You'd rather run or swim or dig your way out of here rather than face the possibility of being married to me for only a month?'

He was moving the table and several of the artifacts in the room and wasn't looking at her. He stopped when he heard the tone in her voice.

"That wasn't what I was suggesting, Diana," he said rather cautiously. He could see the fire in her eyes and didn't want to make this situation worse. He wasn't sure how it could get any worse, but he didn't want to find out. Moving slowly towards her, he held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Look, you know I want to help you, Diana, but marriage? Isn't that taking this bet a little too far? I mean I know Bruce pissed you off, but he pisses everyone off sooner or later. He's Batman."

She was still glaring at him, but softened a bit, as she understood what he was saying. Even she had to admit this did seem like a little much, but she still didn't want to back down, from her Mother or the bet. She needed him to agree.

"Please, Kal,' she said. Her eyes began to moisten and she looked very vulnerable in the moment. He rubbed his hands over his face and shook his head as he turned away.

"If you try crying again, Diana, so help me,' he muttered. "I was raised never to hit a woman, but …"

"Oh, all right, I didn't think it would work twice anyway,' she snapped. "I need you help, Kal! This is important!"

"Why Diana? Why is it so important you're willing to go to these lengths?"

He had turned back to her wanting to understand what was going on. The whole world seemed to be spinning out of control around him, but maybe if he understood why this was so important to her it would all make sense.

Diana could see the yearning to understand in his eyes. Her hands fluttered uselessly at her side as she tried to think of what to say. She had always presented herself to everyone, as a woman trying her best to live up to all the ideals hopes and dreams she carried on her strong shoulders, yet this was different. Telling him the complete truth would make her vulnerable in a very personal and private way. No one likes to open himself or herself up like that, not even a Princess and Champion.

"Why Diana? Please?"

She trusted Kal, but he was asking her to trust him more than anyone else. He probably didn't even know that's what he was asking of her. As she looked into his blue eyes, she hoped if anyone would understand it would be him.

"I didn't get the joke, Kal,' she whispered.

"What? I don't understand,' he replied.

"Yesterday,' she continued softly. "Those names Wally gave me, I didn't get the joke. Kara did, but I didn't.'

"Diana, that was just a stupid prank, don't let it bother you,' he offered.

"But that's what this is about, Kal,' she said. "I never get those jokes. Two worlds. I live in both of them but sometimes I feel like I don't fit in either one. That's what Bruce is saying with this bet, that I'll never understand and always be an outsider. What my mother is doing I know is out of love and concern for me, but also because she thinks I'm too naïve about the outside world."

"Diana, it takes time,' He replied. "You can't expect to know everything right away. Don't let what others think bother you."

"But it's not just them, Kal,' she whispered. Diana slowly turned away from him, her arms wrapped around her. "I have doubts as well."

"Doubts? You,' he asked in surprise.

"Don't be so shocked,' she mused, a small sad smile crossing her lips. "I'm not the perfect woman everyone things I am."

"Pretty close in my book." He brushed his fingers lightly down her arm and gave her an encouraging smile. She blushed a little at this.

"Thank you."

"Everyone has doubts, Diana," he offered. "I think you've done remarkably well handling everything that's come your way."

"Thank you again,' she whispered, a little embarrassed by his compliments. "But it's not being Wonder Woman or Princess Diana or even Ambassador for Themyscira I'm talking about Kal. Those are all just titles after all. I have doubts about where I fit, not Wonder Woman, but just me, Diana."

"I didn't know."

He could see how hard this was for her to admit. He realized he had always viewed her the same way everyone else had, almost a Goddess on a pedestal. She always seemed so confident, self-assured and completely poised in every situation. It was more than a bit of a shock to find out underneath all that she had doubts like everyone else. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze to show her his support. She returned it with a smile, but the smile slipped away as she continued talking.

"This is my home and family,' she began. "Themyscira is a paradise but somehow it's always seemed too small and that I didn't quite fit in. I could have stayed here and lived out my life peacefully as so many of my sisters have, but I always had this sense there had to be more. It's why the outside world always fascinated me. When I first left here and saw the world it seemed so many possibilities were opening up for me. I wanted to know everything, see everything, meet all the different people I'd just imagined."

She turned towards him and gave a little nod.

"It was a little overwhelming at first, I admit," she said.

"That's understandable,' he replied. "It must have been quite a culture shock."

"Yes, but then I met you and the others,' she answered. "I thought if you could fit in then so could I. So when Bruce told me we were from different worlds, it just brought back those doubts. My mother wanting me to give up the bet because she thinks I'm too innocent and naïve about the world just reinforces them. I want to prove to them, but more importantly to me, that I can do this. I want them to understand that I'm more than just the Princess or Wonder Woman; I'm Diana underneath it all. That's why this bet is so important to me. It's why I need your help, please?"

She was looking into his eyes and he could see just how important this was to her. In an odd way it was as if he were seeing her for the first time. This wasn't Wonder Woman or Princess Diana of the Amazons, but a young woman searching for a place to belong. He knew what that felt like, not being sure of where he fit in, so there was really only one answer to her. Rubbing his hand over his chin he eyed her and could see the unspoken trust she was placing on him.

"So you really think she's bluffing,' he asked.

"I'm sure of it!"

He gave a sigh and held out his hand.

"All right,' he finally said. "I guess we're in this together. Let's call her bluff."

A radiant smile broke across Diana's lips and in the next instance she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Thank you, Kal, you won't regret this!"

He had his doubts about that, but wisely kept quiet and just returned her embrace.

* * *

The Watchtower

As chairwoman and acting president, Dinah was responsible for daily assignments and coordinating with Jonn and Mr. Terrific the operations of the station and League. Jonn was standing at the monitors relaying information to the current teams in the field. Dinah was trying her best not to show how annoying she found Plastic Man.

She liked to think she was a levelheaded person and had a sense of humor. She was certainly tolerant, dating Ollie proved that. There was just something about Plastic Man that made her want to grab a pool stick and beat him senseless.

He was currently in front of her waiting to see if she had an assignment for him. His head was a propeller beanie and his body was a hula-hoop that kept going round and round. It only made matters worse that he was playing Stars and Strips forever on a kazoo.

"Could you stop that?"

She was just on the edge and if he didn't stop, he would push her over any second. His mouth transformed from the kazoo back into a mouth and he smiled.

"So have you heard the one about the man working in a dildo store, Dinah? A brunette walks in and asks him how much for the black dildo? He replies $50 for the black one, $50 for the white one. She leaves without buying anything.  
A red head walks in and asks him how much for the white dildo? He replies $50 for the white one, $50 for the black one. She doesn't buy anything.  
A blond enters the store and asks him how much for a dildo? He answers $50 for a black one, $50 for a white one.  
She asks how much for the plaid one on the shelf behind him? He says, 'Oh that's a very special one, that's $250'. She buys it.  
At closing, the manager walks in and asks the man how much he sold. The man said no dildos but I sold your thermos for $250. Get it? His thermos! Oh, ho, that's just slays me! His thermos! A-ring-a-ding-ding! Ring-a-ding-ding-Ding!"

Dinah just glared at him as Plastic Man went into hysterics.

"A dumb blond joke, really? You told **ME** a dumb blond joke,' she said through gritted teeth. Plastic Man was howling with laughter and fell off his chair.

"Whoop! Whoop! Man down! A-ring-a-ding-ding-Ding! Ha-Ha! A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

Dinah slowly closed her eyes and counted to ten. She snapped a paper from the bottom of the pile in front of her and held it out to him.

"An assignment for me,' he asked between laughs.

"Yes, Moscow. The sewers. Look into it,' Dinah said in a very clipped voice.

"Russia, huh? I'm on it! Ja vol, mein herr!"

"That's German you imbecile,' she snapped. If Plastic Man was listening it wasn't apparent. His beanie had changed into a police siren and his arms and legs into wheels.

"EEEEEEEE-AAAAWWWWAAAA-EEEEEEEEE-AAAAWWWWAAA,' he shouted, pretending to be a European police car as he scooted out of the room. Dinah balled her hands into fists and pressed the heels of them against her temples, the anger boiling up inside her. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It took several moments, but finally she began to relax.

The room was very quiet for a few moments, and then Dinah heard Jonn chuckling.

"Jonn?"

He turned and there was a smile on his face.

"His thermos. I just got that, ha-ha-ha-ah-ha-um-ah-hmm."

The laughter died on his lips as he saw her glaring at him. He turned back to the control panel.

"All teams are reporting good progress with no injuries."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Luck is a fickle mistress. You never know when it's going to hit or how long it's going to last. The best you can hope for it to ride it for all it's worth and hope when it turns you're not all in.

Lucky, Lucky bastard, Lucky rabbit's foot, Lady Luck, we hear these all the time. From the outside it makes no sense. Take someone at a craps table. The dice come around to them and they don't really expect to win, but they take a chance. As a joke they rub the dice on the bald man next to them and say it's for luck. The bald man isn't amused, but the person with the dice laughs, winks at the pretty girl next to him, blows on the dice and throws them.

He wins.

Thinking it's just a fluke, he takes the dice again, rubs them on the unhappy bald mans head again, winks again, blows on them again and throws them again.

He wins again.

A buzz goes through the crowd and someone says the magic words, he's lucky. This time the bald man doesn't mind quite as much when he rubs the dice on his head. The girl gives him a huge smile when he winks at her. He blows on the dice and then throws one more time.

A winner!

Now people are cheering. Others come over having heard the buzz about his hot streak of luck. The bald man actually bends his head forward for him to rub the dice this time. The girl moves a little closer, pressing herself against the man, sensing he's a winner. He winks, blows and throws, another winner.

As crazy or stupid as it sounds, the bald man and the pretty girl now feel apart of his winning streak. It's superstitious and has no real effect on the outcome, but there is no way the man isn't going to rub the bald man's head with the dice, wink at the pretty girl and blow on them before he throws again. In the strange world of luck, that would be asking for it to change.

When the man finally loses, he won't think that the odds or percentages finally caught up with him, he'll instead believe he must have forgot or did something different on that last roll. He tempted luck and it changed just like that.

Lucky is a fickle mistress. You ride it as long as you can and if you're smart you double down on your wager while it's with you.

Business had picked up for everyone in the group. Whether that was just seasonal or because back to school season is just around the corner weren't the reason in their minds. The ritual, the ceremony was working. Sympathetic magic, the idea of correspondence, the believed that an effect on one object can cause an analogous effect on another object, without an apparent causal link between the two objects. You symbolically sacrifice a Goat to Satan for help with your business and your business gets better.

Sure they had just read the instructions how to do it off the Internet and had no real idea of what it took to really conjure up the Dark Lord, but it was working and for now that was enough.

They were on a hot streak with this Satan thing and they were going to ride it out and double down. In Cubby's mind, that meant upping the ante on the sacrifices. At first everyone was a little leery of really killing a live goat as a sacrifice, but the more they thought about it, the more they liked it. If symbolically killing a dead goat made Satan help their business, then killing a live one would surely make him help their business even more.

With this in mind, they all finally agreed. They nervously headed down to Cubby's finished basement and took their robes off the bumper pool table and prepared themselves for tonight's ceremony Their outfits were all nice and dry cleaned, fresh smelling and very shiny. Cubby put on his pointy hat and turned to address the rest.

"Okay, everyone knows what we're supposed to do tonight. I want you all to have fun in there and let's knock one out of the park for Satan! Hail Satan!"

"Hail Satan!' The others responded.

Cubby turned and opened the door to the Sanctum Supreme, his converted den and held the black current back for the others to enter. Bob and Carl were the first in line and they were just heading in when something swung in front of them screeching. They both jumped back in surprise.

"What the hell was that?"

'I think it was a monkey,' Carl shouted. "Heaven help us, it is a monkey!"

Cubby turned to LuAnn in confusion.

"I thought you were getting a goat,' he asked.

"They were out of goats today,' she replied. "There was a special on former lab monkeys and I thought I'd save a dollar.'

"Didn't they have anything else," Dottie asked.

"Well, llamas, but they poop everywhere,' LuAnn explained. "Blood's one thing, but you're not getting the stain or smell of llama poop out of the carpet."

"She has a point there," Jenny added. "I live near a farm once and the smell of horse poop was just too much."

"We charge extra to get horse poop out of your clothes,' Carl informed them. "Blood, no problem, but poop lingers, believe me."

Ted Burns spoke up now.

"Look, I don't care, I'm not killing a monkey. A goat, sure, I'm on board, but not a monkey."

"What's the difference," his wife Marie asked.

"Well, a monkey's got a little face on him,' Ted replied. "I can't concentrate on chanting for Satan and stabbing him if his little face is looking back at me. It would throw me all off."

"I think that's the Pot talking,' Phil offered.

"I didn't smoke any today,' Ted protested. "I'm just not comfortable killing something with a little face, is all!"

"Doesn't a goat have a face," Cubby asked.

"Yeah, doesn't everything have a face, Ted,' Jenny asked.

"Yes, but those are different types of faces,' Ted explained. "A monkey's got like a little human face on him. It's completely different."

"Oh, great, thanks, Ted," LuAnn groaned. "Now I've got that thought in my head. I can't go in there and kill him thinking that."

"Now you've ruined it,' Cubby complained. "None of us can making him a sacrifice now that you said that!"

"I'm sorry,' Ted replied. "Look, get a goat, I'll dive right in, but not a monkey!"

"What the hell?" Bob felt something hit him and looked down to see monkey poop on his robe. "Oh, that's just great, he's throwing his feces!"

"Don't let any of it get on the carpet," LuAnn cried.

"Well if we're not going to sacrifice him, what the hell are we going to do with the monkey,' Cubby asked. As Cubby was saying this, the monkey hit Bob again.

"I don't care if he has a face or not, I'm killing the little bastard!"

* * *

Themyscira

The room was full of sound, music and conversation filled the air. Queen Hippolyta stood on the dais, a serene smile on her face as she lifted her cup and addressed the Amazons.

'Sisters! Allow me to be the first to present to you my daughter, Princess Diana and her new husband, Superman!"

A cheer went up as all eyes turned to the newlyweds. Clark and Diana sat side by side on the dais, both with stunned looks on their faces. Clark looked down at the platinum wedding band on his finger in disbelief.

"Married?"

"I thought she was bluffing," Diana lamely offered, as confused as he was.

"Nice call on that one, Princess,' he sarcastically replied.

Diana turned and punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what the hell was that for, Diana?'

"I hate when you call me Princess, Kal."

"Wonderful, this is going to be a great honeymoon,' he grumbled. He felt eyes looking hard at him and looked up to see Hippolyta staring. She didn't look pleased. They had already had a 'little chat' after the wedding where she made her views about the marriage perfectly clear to him.

"It was just a figure of speech, you majesty," Clark quickly explained. "I swear!"


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7  
_

"Moving Day"

Gotham

There was a buzz around the Wayne Enterprises building when everyone found out the owner was on site. Bruce could feel it as he made his way to his office, the overly friendly smiles and the slight nervous excitement in his employees was something he was used to by now. Because his family name was on the building, most assumed he was in charge. That was only partly true.

He was the largest shareholder and in theory he had the final say on everything that happened in the company, but for the most part he left the day-to-day operations to a trusted few, Lucius Fox being an example. Special Projects was the one division he had a heavy influence on. Bruce stayed abreast of everything the company was doing, but more and more he had to force himself to make appearances.

Today it was necessary, as Clark was stopping by to pick up the keys to the house and sign the final papers. Keeping a fake smile on his face, Bruce made his way through the executives, even joking and flirting with some, but it was just an act. His mind was elsewhere, the Batcave to be specific.

The trappings of wealth served their purpose, but this life held little interested for him anymore. Boardrooms, stockholder meetings, hedge funds and power lunches were so far removed from what was really important to him. The world was turning into a cesspool and that was the reality that mattered. More and more putting on an Italian suit and driving a Porsche seemed like the costume. Batman was his reality.

He managed to get some paperwork done before Clark arrived. Sitting behind his desk, he did take special interested in watching Clark make his way through the building to his office. Bruce actually smiled as he observed Clark give his name twice at the front desk. At each stage of his ascent up the building, security and receptionists would ask who he was and where he was going. Patiently Clark would explain he was Clark Kent and he was here to see Bruce Wayne. Each time they would check to see if he was on the list and then wave him through.

They forgot him the moment he was out of sight. If they noticed him at all, it was only because Clark was here to see him, Bruce mused. They probably wondered why this nobody was getting to see the owner of the company. He had seen it a hundred times, but it was no less remarkable how effortlessly Clark blended in. It was so deceptively simple, a size too large plain suit, thick bland glasses, the stooped posture and awkwardness, yet no one saw through it.

If his employees only knew they worked for the Batman, the outlaw vigilante that terrified most of them and that the man they had just dismissed was Superman, the hero they adored, there would have been a seismic shift felt through the building.

Bruce watched as Clark finally makes it up to his office. He gave his name twice to the secretary on duty and after she checked the list, she finally buzzed Bruce.

"Yes?"

"There's a Mr. Kent here to see you, Mr. Wayne,' the secretary said.

"Who,' Bruce asked, wanting to see if he could get any reaction from Clark. Nothing. The woman asked him again and Clark repeated his name for her.

"His name is Clark Kent, Mr. Wayne,' she buzzed again.

"Oh, yes, please send him in,' Bruce replied.

"Yes, sir."

A moment later, the door opened and Clark stepped inside. He closed it softly and then turned to Bruce.

"Was that really necessary,' Clark asked. "Who? Come on."

"Just wanted to see if you'd react,' Bruce explained with a smile.

"I've done this before, Bruce, besides, didn't you watch me on your cameras all the way up here,' Clark asked with a smile of his own.

"Diana's not with you,' Bruce said, not answering Clark's question, but shifting the topic.

"Ah, no, we're not exactly speaking at the moment,' Clark admitted as he took the offered sit across the desk from Bruce.

"Trouble in paradise already?"

"A difference of opinion."

"I have to say, I didn't see Queen Hippolyta pulling that one,' Bruce offered. "A clever lady."

"Yeah, scary too,' Clark said with a sigh. "I think you owe me a lot more than one interview for that, Bruce."

"You could have just said no,' Bruce replied. Clark gave him a look.

"You've met Diana, haven't you Bruce? Have you ever tried to talk her out of something she really wants?"

"Still, marrying her?"

"We, well, she believe and convinced me, that Hippolyta was bluffing,' Clark explained. "She was wrong, by the way."

"Many men would envy you, Clark, married to Wonder Woman,' Bruce said with a grin.

"Not if they had the talk with Hippolyta that I did after the wedding," Clark replied. "Like I said, you owe me."

"Well, maybe I can get Zee to do an interview with you,' Bruce offered. "I'm sure that wouldn't be too hard."

"That's right, she is performing in Gotham in a week. I guess I could ask her,' Clark said.

"How did you know she's performing in Gotham next week?"

"She put me on her mailing list,' Clark explained. "I get e-mail updates on her schedule every other week."

"Clever girl,' Bruce mused. He shuffled through some of the papers on his desk and pulled out a picture of the house in Gotham Heights. "I also got you the nicest house on the block in Gotham Heights, so that should help too."

"How about next time you figure out a way to leave me out of you love life,' Clark asked.

"I didn't involve you this time, Diana did,' Bruce replied. "And this has nothing to do with my love life, Clark."

"Right, sure it doesn't." Clark smiled.

"It's a simple bet, Clark, that's it,' Bruce carefully explained.

"Bruce, we've known each other a long time and nothing is simple with you. Diana thinks this is your way of showing her that you two could never be a couple because you're from different worlds,' Clark replied. "She's determined to prove you wrong."

"She won't, but I will admit that might have something to do with it,' Bruce said cautiously.

"Ah-huh, see now I've been thinking about it too,' Clark offered. "I believe there's more to this than you're letting on. I think you're testing her."

The smile vanished from Bruce's face as he looked at Clark.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"What is it you think you know, Clark,' Bruce asked.

"You're attracted to her, just like she is to you,' Clark explained. "Given the women you're typically attracted to, it's usually a trust issue with them, but not Diana. Her you already trust, so it's this two worlds thing. You have to test her to see if she really understands what it means to live in Batman's world. If you care for her, Bruce, why don't you just tell her the truth?"

"Like you have with Lois,' Bruce calmly replied.

"Touché."

Bruce looked at him for a moment and then turned to look out over the city.

"She thinks she understands, so do you, but neither of you do, Clark. My world is a dark, dangerous place; so far removed from yours you can barely see it as you fly over. If I care for Diana, why would I want to bring her down into that world? She doesn't belong there."

"Isn't that her choice,' Clark asked.

Bruce slowly turned back and looked Clark in the eye.

"No."

Clark realized this was Batman he was talking to. The costume might not be there, but the look in Bruce's eye and the tone of his voice was pure Batman.

"What if she passes the test?"

"I don't think she will,' Bruce admitted. "If I'm wrong, I guess we'll see."

It was that moment when the pieces all fell into place for Clark. Since he'd been dragged into this bet, he'd been trying to figure out what was really going on. Now he knew. There was a mutual attraction between Bruce and Diana. She was fighting to get closer and he was fighting to push her away.

Not for the first time, Clark worried about his friend. Batman was born out of tragedy and Clark feared the path Bruce was on would end in tragedy as well. It seemed with each passing year, he slipped a little further into being Batman. Clark didn't know all the details, but he knew enough to know that Bruce and Selina Kyle had some sort of relationship. Clark also knew it was Bruce that ended it.

Now there was Diana. She wouldn't give up without a fight. In many ways she would be the best thing to happen to Bruce, but his fears and old scars wouldn't let him see it. Even if she passed this test, there would be another and another, Clark sadly realized.

Clark started to say something, to argue with Bruce, but suddenly knew there would be no point right now. For every reason Clark knocked down, Bruce would have five more. It was another tragedy. Diana was this amazing woman that any man would be lucky to have, Clark thought. She's kind and loving, intelligent and beautiful, yet Bruce could only see the negatives.

If Bruce only had five years with Diana, wouldn't that be more than most people could ask? It seemed like it to Clark, but then he wasn't the one she was attracted to. It was in Clark's nature to want to fix this situation, but sadly as he looked at Bruce he knew it wasn't that simple. He would do his part, help Diana win the bet and hope maybe Bruce would change his mind. With a sigh, Clark decided to just get this bet started.

"So you have some papers for me to sign?'

"Yes, the transfer of the house in Gotham Heights,' Bruce explained. "I had it bought through a small subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises. Technically, you will just be renting it from us, but to all outward appearances you will own it. Here are the keys to the house and a car. Ollie has a warehouse just outside the community limits that he's not using, so we've refit it for you to use. You can drive to it, transport up to the station if you're needed, that sort of thing. Diana picked up her keys earlier at the house."

"Keys? You gave her a car too,' Clark asked.

"Yes."

"Does she even know how to drive?"

"No, but she seemed very determined to learn,' Bruce replied. He gave Clark a look. "Yes, I did try and talk her out of it and no, it didn't work."

"So she's driving around Gotham Heights right now?"

That was actually kind of a scary thought, Clark realized.

"Not yet, Dinah, Zee and Mari went down with her to help her move in the last few things. I made Dinah promise she'd drive them to the house."

"So I get the pleasure of being her first passenger,' Clark groaned. 'What did I ever do to you, Bruce? I thought we were friends?"

"Well, you are invulnerable, remember?"

"I don't think my nerves are,' Clark lamented.

"You can always quit the bet,' Bruce quickly replied. He even had a smile on his face as he said it.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you,' Clark said. "All right, so driving lessons it is. Anything else?'

"No, I don't think so, you just have to sign the papers and as soon as you get to Gotham Heights the bet begins.'

Clark reached over and took the pen and quickly signed the papers. He figured if he thought about it too much he would only get a headache at this point.

"So do you want to fly in or I can have someone drive you,' Bruce asked.

"No, I thought it would be nice to drive down with Kara,' Clark replied. "She wanted to see the house and I figured it would give us some time together."

"How is she handling covering Metropolis for you,' Bruce asked.

'A little too well, if you ask me,' Clark said. "She can hardly wait to get me out the door. I have visions of wild parties in my apartment the moment I leave."

"Well, she is eighteen, Clark. An attractive young woman on her own in the big city, it must be tempting to her,' Bruce stated. He was needling Clark, knowing how protective of his young cousin he was.

"That's what I'm afraid of, Bruce, but thank you for putting it into words,' Clark sarcastically replied. "Let's just hope Toyman doesn't decide to try something."

"Why Toyman,' Bruce asked. "He's not really that much of a threat is he? "

"Kara hates Toyman, Bruce,' Clark replied. "Well, most of the women in the League hate him, but she's got a special loathing of him."

"His dirty mouth?"

"Exactly." Clark agreed. "I think he's got a death wish or something."

"I'll let Jonn know to keep an eye on it for you,' Bruce offered.

"Thank you,' Clark said. He stood up and Bruce did too. They shook hands and even smiled at each other.

"So I guess this is it?"

"Don't worry, Clark, I figure it should be over in a week, maybe two, tops."

"You might be wrong his time, Bruce,' Clark replied. "There's a first time for everything you know."

"We'll see."

* * *

Gotham Heights

LuAnn, Dottie and Nancy stood in the Vintons front room watching as the new neighbor moved in.

"Are you sure they're not filming a reality show over there,' Dottie asked. "I mean those four look like supermodels to me."

"No, there was nothing in the weekly gazette,' LuAnn replied. She had made microwave popcorn and brought it out for them.

"I'd swear I've seen the one in a magazine somewhere,' Nancy added. "I'm sure she's a model."

"Did you see the tall one,' LuAnn said, as she dug into the bag of popcorn. "She's a giant and gorgeous!"

"Why would they be moving here,' Dottie wonder aloud. "I always thought women that look like that are in Hollywood or Europe, not in the suburbs."

"I can just imagine what Phil's going to be like when he sees them,' Nancy groaned. "He already has a wandering eye."

"She's out of his league,' Dottie absently replied.

"What's that supposed to mean,' Nancy protested. "Are you saying my husband isn't attractive?"

"No, but just look at them, Nancy," Dottie answered. "There out of everyone's league around here.'

"I'm not worried,' Luann said.

"Oh, really? You're don't think Cubby would be interested in them? Come on, LuAnn, he's a man!"

"I know he will be, but that's fine,' LuAnn replied. "We have a open marriage."

"You mean you sleep with other people?"

"Yeah, it kind of spices up our marriage,' LuAnn explained. "If he can sleep with one of those women, I'm not going to stand in his way.'

"Wouldn't that bother you," Dottie asked. "The thought of him sleeping with one of your neighbors?"

"At least I'd know where he was at, besides if he can sleep with a neighbor, so can I,' LuAnn said with a grin.

"You are so progressive, LuAnn,' Nancy said. "You're like those hippies and their free love in the movies!"

"The best part, it makes sex with Cubby even hotter,' LuAnn confided to them.

"Really?" Nancy was very interested now. "It makes it better?"

"Oh, yes, much better."

"Wait, go back,' Dottie said. "You still enjoy sex with your husband?"

* * *

Gotham Heights – Across the Street

Dinah, Mari and Zee helped Diana moved some of the smaller boxes in to her new house. It was mostly items to accent the furniture and theme Diana had created in the place. As Zee set the last box down, the three of them looked around.

"This is really a nice place, Diana,' Mari offered.

"Thank you," Diana said with a smile. "I've never decorated someone completely by myself so it was fun and different."

"Your mother really made you two get married,' Zee asked again.

"Yes, Zatanna, why is that so hard for you to believe,' Diana asked.

"Doesn't it seem kind of sudden? I mean I thought you Amazons hated men for the most part,' Zee explained. "Now, out of the blue your marrying them? That's kind of a big leap, isn't it?'

"I swear you're as bad as Kal, Zatanna,' Diana remarked. "I explained that. I thought she was bluffing to make me give up the bet! Besides, it's only for a month and it's more like an engagement or an old fashioned courtship according to the way my mother told Kal. I wish he'd let it go already."

"No touchie the Princess, Superman,' Mari whispered with a smile.

"I guess that's better,' Zee admitted.

"Let it go, Zee, he's sort of married to Diana now,' Dinah said to her friend.

"I was just asking,' Zee protested. "Can't I just be interested in what's going on with friends?"

'Right,' Dinah sarcastically replied. "If you're so interested in what's happening between your friends, how come you never ask me how things are going with Ollie?"

"That's old news," Zee stated. "Besides, you two are boring."

"We are not!"

"You keep telling yourself that, Di,' Zee said with a smirk. "Ask Mari, she'll tell you.'

Dinah turned towards Mari, but she wisely didn't want to get involved. She quickly turned to Diana.

"How about a tour, Diana?"

"Yes, I'd be happy to give you a tour of my home!' Diana smiled and ushered them around the place.

"This is the kitchen,' she said as they entered the large area. There was a center workspace with chopping block and a hanging rack filled with pots and pans. A small breakfast nock sat next to a large bay window and there were shiny brand new stainless steel appliances lining the walls.

"Wow, some lay out,' Zee commented.

"Look at all those pans,' Dinah observed. "I wouldn't know what to do with half of them. Would you?"

She turned and looked at Mari and Zee.

"I don't cook,' Zee replied. "Room service mostly."

"I don't cook either,' Mari said. "I like to eat out."

"I wish I could, but I don't," Dinah admitted. "How about you Diana? Since you bought all of them, you must be a wiz in the kitchen."

"No, they came with the house,' Diana replied. "They do look nice though."

The four of them stood there for a moment just looking at the pots and pans.

"So would you like to see the rest of the house,' Diana offered.

The three agreed.

Diana showed them the living room and the back patio that opened up onto a pool and Jacuzzi. They toured most of the downstairs rooms and then headed upstairs.

"And this is the bedroom," Diana said, gesturing to the master suite. The other three pushed their way inside, very interested in this.

"Wow, that's a big bed, Diana,' Mari said.

"Yeah, how many does that sleep, like ten,' Zee asked.

"That must have set Bruce back quite a bit,' Dinah observed.

"Well, I wanted to be comfortable and he did tell me to furnish the house,' Diana said with a smirk.

"So if this is where you're sleeping, where's Clark sleeping," Zee asked.

"Well, here of course, we're supposed to be married, remember,' Diana replied.

"Wh-What?"

"You're going to sleep together, Diana,' Mari asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Yes, but it's not what you're thinking,' Diana explained. "It would be the same if we were on a mission and had to share accommodations. It's only a month, so it seemed silly to buy two beds."

"Does Clark know about this," Zee asked.

"No, we're not speaking at the moment,' Diana replied. "I make one miscalculation and he can't let it go!"

"I think he'll forget about it after you tell him about this,' Dinah offered, giving Zee and Mari skeptical look.

"So let me get this straight, you're not really married, but you are and now you're going to be sleeping together but not sleeping together,' Zee asked.

"Yes."

"Really?'

"Let it go, Zatanna,' Mari whispered to her.

"Oh, come on, that's like completely unfair," Zee whispered back. "She's stacking the deck and doesn't even know it! She already has a big enough advantage!"

"I think you're overreacting," Mari whispered in reply.

"Have you looked at her, Mari?'

"Is there a problem,' Diana innocently asked.

"No,' Mari and Zee said at the same time, smiling at Diana.

"Lovely house by the way."

"Thanks you."

* * *

Gotham Heights – Later

Clark and Kara slowly drove down the street looking for the address.

"They all look the same,' Kara said.

"Well, that one's sort of off white instead of white-white,' Clark offered.

'Why is the whole front of the house a garage? And why aren't there any porches,' Kara asked.

"I don't know, I guess that's the style."

"There must not be any old people living here,' Kara observed. "I can't imagine Ma Kent and her old lady friends from the church not sitting on the front porch knitting and talking about who died and whose ill."

"You paint such a beautiful picture with words, Kara,' Clark sarcastically replied.

"What? Are you saying they don't talk about that,' she asked.

"Hey, there is it.' Clark pointed out the house.

"Wow! That's beautiful."

"Bruce said it was the most expensive in the neighborhood."

"Boy, he must be loaded,' Kara commented. They pulled into the driveway and got out. Kara was already opening the trunk and pulling out Clark's bags as he stood looking at the front of the house.

"Well, don't just stand there, Clark, let's get you moved in with your wife,' Kara shouted as she pushed passed him and headed for the front door. Clark shook his head and picked the remaining bags and followed. He was digging for the key, but Kara had already pushed the door open and was inside.

"She left it open,' Kara called after her. As Clark picked up his suitcases, he could hear Kara dropping the ones she'd been carrying. The pile made it a bit difficult getting in the door, but he finally managed it. He set his suitcases down and stood in the entranceway with Kara looking at the spectacularly furnished living room.

"Wow."

"You're wife really has nice taste, Clark,' Kara teased.

"Would you stop saying there, please?"

"What? Your wife, Diana? You don't want me to say Diana, your wife?"

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah!"

"Great,' he said and then looked around. "Let's see if she's here?"

"Where else would she be?'

"I don't know, maybe she took a walk around the neighborhood or God help us all, a drive,' Clark said.

"Where's the TV,' Kara asked.

Clark looked around, but he didn't see one either.

"Maybe it's one of those hide-away models?"

"No, I scanned the room, nothing,' Kara replied. "No TV, that's sucks."

"Let's just find Diana, alright?'

"I'll check upstairs,' Kara said, dashing off. Clark moved into the living room, still a little amazed at the furniture. It was really, quite exquisite and the whole room seemed to be perfectly balanced. He had to admit, Diana had fantastic taste.

The sound of splashing water drew his attention and as he turned he saw Diana climbing out of the pool. She was wearing a modest black one-piece bathing suit, but it did nothing to diminish the effect. She stood on the side of the pool and ran her hands through her hair to get rid of the excess water and Clark was mesmerized. The wet suit hugged every curve of her spectacular figure. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone more beautiful.

"Pretty,' he absently whispered, the word just slipping out on it's own.

He seemed frozen to the spot, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Getting an eye full, Clark,' a teasing voice said behind him. "Why don't you take a picture, it will last longer."

His face turned red with embarrassment as he heard Kara giggling.

"Gee, no TV, I wonder what you two will do to pass the time.' Kara put her hands on his shoulders and leaned up to teasingly whispered in his ear. He looked again at Diana as she was drying herself off and groaned.

"Oh, Jeez, this is going to be a long, long month."


	8. Chapter 8

Moving In, Part Two

"A Marriage is about Sharing, but Don't Stand So Close to Me"

Gotham Heights

"Hey Diana! We're here!"

Another groan escaped Clark's lips as Kara yelled at the top of her lungs to announce their arrival. He glanced quickly over and saw Diana slipping into a fluffy white robe and heading inside. Thinking fast, he put his arm around Kara and pulled her tight to him.

"If you embarrass me, Kara, I'll personally fly down to Smallville and bring Ma Kent up to spend the entire month with you in Metropolis,' he whispered.

"You wouldn't,' Kara gasped.

"Desperate times call for desperate actions," he replied. "Please, I know you're enjoying this, but for once don't embarrass me?"

"Oh, all right, I'll try,' she glumly agreed.

"Thank you."

An idea suddenly occurred to Kara how to turn this situation to her advantage.

"This means I get to have a party at the apartment, you know."

"This isn't a negotiation, Kara."

"No, it's not." She smiled. ""It's a deal!"

Clark could see Diana was about to open the door and step inside. Kara had him in a corner and she knew it.

"All right, deal,' he quickly said before Diana entered the room. Kara's smile grew wider. She pantomimed locking her lips and then dropping the key down her blouse.

"Party or not, no one else better touch that key, if you know what I mean."

The smile slipped a little on Kara's lips.

"You never want me to have any fun,' she grumbled.

The patio door opened and Diana stepped inside still drying her hair.

"Hello Kal, Kara! So what do you think of the house,' she asked.

"Lovely," Clark replied, giving her a smile.

"How about you Kara?"

"Aces!"

Diana stopped for a moment and gave Kara a strange look. Even Clark turned to look at his cousin. She blushed a little and then added, "Nice, it looks really nice, Diana."

"Thank you,' Diana finally replied. "Let me just get changed and I'll show you around."

She smiled at the two of them and then quickly headed upstairs. Once she disappeared, Clark turned to Kara.

"Aces?"

"I know, God that's so embarrassing,' Kara groaned. "It just came out of nowhere! I must be hanging around you too much, Clark, some of your hayseed is rubbing off on me."

"Thanks,' he sarcastically replied.

"Next thing you know people will start calling me the Big Blue Girl Scout," Kara lamented. 'My reputation will be ruined!"

"That's the cross you'll just have to bare,' Clark teased, putting his arm around her.

"Oh, shut up,' Kara growled, jerking away from him.

"Well, maybe the party can rebuild your street cred," Clark offered as a joke.

"Hey, that's right, it can,' Kara replied, excited about the idea. "The party can be so off the chain people will be wondering if we're even really related! That's a great idea, Clark, thanks!"

"Kara, you realize I was just joking,' Clark nervously pointed out.

"Shh, Clark, I thinking,' Kara said. "I've got so much to do and so little time!"

"Kara, maybe we'd better talk about this."

"No time, Clark,' Kara replied. "I've got plans to make! Look, tell Diana I had to go and I'll check the house out some other time! Thanks again for the idea, Clark, you're the best cousin ever!"

Kara quickly hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then was running out the door.

"Kara! We're not done talking about this!" Clark shouted after her, but he could already hear the engine revving and the car pulling out of the driveway. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I've really got to learn to shut up sometimes."

"Did Kara leave already,' Diana asked as she came back down the stairs. "I thought she wanted to see the house?"

Clark turned towards Diana. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a loose white blouse, but how good she looked was still rather startling. The fact that they were alone in the house wasn't helping either.

"Um, ah, she-she had to get back to Metropolis,' he offered. "She still wants to see the house, but asks that it be another time."

"Oh, well, I guess that can't be helped,' Diana replied. She noticed the suitcases on the floor. "Are those your things?"

"Yes," he said, glancing at the suitcases. "Kara was nice enough to pack them for me and bring them in."

"Well, why don't you put your clothes away and then I'll show you the rest of the house?"

"Sounds like a plan,' he said. "You really did I nice job on the living room, by the way."

"Thank you, Kal,' Diana said with a smile.

"Your welcome. Now I'll just put my clothes in my bedroom and be right down."

"Can I help,' she asked.

"Ah, well, sure, I guess,' Clark replied. "Since we can't use our powers, I'm just going to have to guess here, but I think Kara jammed everything from work into that case. Is there a little room I could use as a sort of office?"

"Yes, there's one off the hallway in the back, looking out at the pool,' Diana suggested. "How about I put your office things in there?"

"Sounds like a plan,' he said with a smile. "I'll just get this stuff stowed away and meet you back down here."

Picking up several of the suitcases, Clark started up the stairs.

Diana easily picked up the bag with his office things and carried it into the room off the hall. She set it down on the little table that was there and was about to leave when curiosity got the best of her. She knew in his other life Clark was a reporter and had even seen him performing on several occasions, but had never actually seen the tools of his trade. Oh, she had seen him with a pad and pen, but this bag contained the real instruments he worked with. These were the things he had around him when he was alone doing his job.

She glanced out towards the living room, biting her lower lip, a little nervously wondering if she should invade his privacy like this. Well, they were going to be living together, so she would see them sooner or later, she justified. Curiosity won out and she unzipped the bag. The way everything was jumbled together let her know, even if he hadn't told her, that Kara had packed the bag.

She thought of another justification for looking, as she was helping him by getting his things organized. Diana knew they shared a desire for having things structured, as it was one of many things she'd noticed they had in common. By straightening his things, perhaps it would make up just a little for her miscalculation with her mother.

Reassured that she wasn't just being nosey, Diana began to take his things from the bag and orderly set them out on the desk. As she was doing so, she pictured in her mind him sitting here working on some assignment. A smile came to her lips as she imagined him with his sleeves rolled up, fake glasses off, typing away at his computer. She positioned it at the center of the table, his notepads to the left and his pens and pencils neatly lined up on the right.

He had several reference books, a dictionary, thesaurus and alternative phrasing books among them. She liked that he was old fashioned, still using books instead of the computer. As she ran her fingers lightly over the cracked spines of the books, she could imagine him reaching for them, perhaps with a pencil between his teeth, looking for just the right word or phrase to make the article just so in his mind. She lined them up according to how she imagined he would use them, dictionary being first.

At the bottom of the bag were photographs. The first one she picked up was of him with the Kents. Diana silently chuckled to herself, as he looked so young in the photo standing between them. They were all smiling for the camera as they stood arm in arm at what appeared to be fair of some sort. Clark could only have been about twelve in the photo, but he was already rather tall, but almost painfully thin. He was smiling proudly for the camera, clutching a blue ribbon that said first place 4H on it. From the little she knew, Diana guess it had been a happy childhood. The way the Kents were looking at him, she could tell they adored their adopted son.

Next was a strip of five pictures of Clark and Kara. It must have been right after she arrived. They were cramped together into what looked like a small booth. The top one was just the two of them smiling into the camera. The second one, Kara had leaned forward very close to the camera, making her eyes wide and smiling even bigger. Diana could just see part of Clark in the photo, but could tell he was laughing. The next was Kara making a face, while Clark arched one eyebrow trying to look serious. A small laugh escaped Diana's lips as she noticed Clark had two fingers up behind Kara's head. The next was Kara pretending to chock him and Clark acting like it was working. The final photo was the one Diana liked the best. They had their arms around each other; their faces pressed together smiling into the camera.

The last photo in the bag surprised Diana. It was of Lois Lane. She had met her a few times and had to admit it perfectly captured the woman. She was very attractive Diana had to acknowledge. There was a confidence about her that came through in the picture by the look in her eyes. Her smile bordered on smug, but it was more of a hint at her razor sharp attitude than anything. The photo captured that ready to take on the world, give as good as she got aura that Diana had always noticed about Lois.

Diana realized that for Clark to have the photo among the others meant just how important Lois was to him. She knew they were dating but hadn't realized the extent of their relationship. It suddenly hit Diana just what she was asking of him by involving him in this bet. Was Kal in love with Lois? As she looked at the photo, Diana found that question bothered her more than she would have imagined.

"Diana? Um, could you come up here a minute, please?"

It was his voice calling to her from the upstairs and it pulled Diana from the thoughts running through her mind. She quickly set the photo with the others and called back to him.

"I'll be right there!'

She took one last glance at the photo of Lois and then headed upstairs.

* * *

Upstairs.

While Clark had no problem with the weight of the suitcases, the sheer number made it a struggle to get up the stairs. Several times he banged against the wall and nearly lost his balance. He was tempted to use his powers, but they were on the honor system with the bet, so he just sighed and continued to slog his way up the stairs. He finally made it to the second floor and set the bags down as he opened the first door he came to. It was the master bedroom. He stepped inside, glancing around at the furnishings. Diana had obviously taken this one he thought and once again he was struck by her taste.

His first impression was that it was definitely feminine, but not 'girly' in style.

"Boy, that's a big bed,' he mused as he walked into the room. It wasn't covered in decorative pillows and the bed skirt wasn't overly frilly, but there was no doubt that a woman had decorated the room. Part of him thought he probably shouldn't be in here, invading her privacy like this but he was more than a little curious.

"Well, we are pretending to be marry, I would know what her bedroom looks like,' he justified to himself. Having given himself a rationalization for being here, Clark moved into the room to look around. He stopped short when he saw the picture of Queen Hippolyta on the dresser.

"Just looking, you majesty,' he whispered nervously. Shifting his eyes away from the photo, he saw that Diana also had a picture of herself and her young sister Donna next to it. He had met Donna once or twice but didn't know her that well. They were both young in the photo, probably just teenagers but you could already tell they were going to be heartbreakers. His eyes shifted back to Hippolyta for a second. "Just an observation."

Still feeling a bit uncomfortable with the photo of the Queen staring at him, Clark moved around to the other side of the room. His attention was drawn to the furnishings again. On the farm, he'd dabbled at making some chairs for the front porch once, but these pieces put his efforts to shame. It was of the same Brazilian rosewood as the furniture downstairs and it was the work of a master craftsman. He ran his fingers over the smooth finish with just a hint of envy. Back in his apartment, he had nice stuff, but nothing like this.

Moving on, he opened a door off the bedroom and saw it was the master bath. It was bigger than his bedroom back on the farm, he observed. He saw her black bathing suit hanging over the shower rod to dry and quickly closed the door, not wanting to invade Diana's privacy too much. He glanced at the photo of Hippolyta again and started for the door. He noticed there was two closets and absently wondered if the Princess had a secret passion for clothes like some other women he knew. Curiosity won out again and he opened the first one. It was filled with what looked like all new clothes. That sort of made sense to him, as he knew back on Themyscira they tended to wear those togas, or whatever they were called, most times.

The second closet was empty which surprised him. The first one was full, everything neat and in order, but he would have thought she would spread them out a bit and use both closets. She probably plans on buying more clothes once she gets settled in, he guessed. Looks like the 'Princess' is starting to adjust to the suburbs he thought with a laugh. Taking one last look at the room, he was struck again by just how big the bed was.

"Let's hope she got me one that big too,' he whispered out loud. Clark exited her bedroom and moved down the hallway to the next door. He opened it to find another bathroom. Two baths upstairs was convenient, he thought, saves me some embarrassing moments having to ask her to use the master bathroom. He closed the door and walked to the last door, which he guessed was his room.

Clark opened it and stepped inside. A puzzled look came to his face as he saw Diana had already decorated this room too. It wasn't a bedroom, though. In the center of the room was a little shrine to her Gods. Around the room were artifacts and other items of Amazon culture. Diana had created a little sanctuary out of the room. Clark knew her people and beliefs were important to her, but this kind of left him without a place to sleep.

He stepped back out in the hall and glance around to see if there was another room, but there wasn't. From memory he knew there wasn't a bedroom downstairs. Was she still pissed at him about his comments after the wedding, he wondered? Diana wasn't really going to make him sleep on the couch for a month was she?

"Oh no,' he groaned, as the realization hit him. "She doesn't think we're going to…yeah, yeah, she probably does."

Clark sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes, the photo of Hippolyta jumping into his mind.

"Diana? Um, could you come up here a minute, please?"

He called out and heard her shout back that she would be there in a minute. Slowly he moved back down the hallway and looked at the master bedroom again. Suddenly the bed didn't look quite as big as it had before.

Diana appeared at the top of the stairs and stopped as she saw his bags still packed and sitting on the floor.

"I thought you were unpacking, Kal,' she said. "Did you want me to help you?"

"Um, ah, no, that's not the problem, Diana,' he replied. "There's only one bed."

She looked at him, not quite understanding what the problem was.

"Yes, I know, Kal, I furnished the house, remember?"

"And you did a lovely job of it, really,' he began. "It's just that where am I supposed to sleep?"

Diana moved over towards him and the pointed into the master suite.

"In the bedroom, Kal.'

The infliction in her voice made it clear she thought this was so obvious that it was strange he was even asking. He gazed up at the ceiling, trying to think of the right words to say to her. Diana glanced up wondering what he was looking at, but he was talking again before she could ask.

"Diana, just help me out here, please," he gently said. "You thought we would both sleep in the same room? Do I have that right?"

"Yes."

"You thought we would sleep together?"

"You know Zatanna asked the same thing, Kal," Diana replied. "I know what you both are thinking, but really? We're pretending to be married for a month Kal. It's no different than if we were on a mission and had to share a room."

"Not quite sure I agree with you there."

"Kal, it's only a month,' Diana stated. "I wasn't going to waste Bruce's month on an extra bed when we don't need one. I really don't see what the problem is."

He looked at her and could see she was completely serious. To her it was as simple as they would just share a bed, that's it.

"Diana, what do you think your mother would say about this,' he asked. "She made it pretty clear to me her views of this whole situation. I don't think this is the best idea."

"Kal, I'm fully aware of what my mother and the others think, but as I told her, I trust you," Diana said with a smile. "I know you're not like that. Now let's get you moved in!'

Diana picked up a couple of his bags and carried them into the bedroom. Clark stood in the doorway not believing this was happening.

"Diana, I'm glad you trust me, but I'm still a guy and you are a very beautiful woman,' he tried to explain.

"Thank you, Kal,' she replied. "Now why don't you grab those two suitcases and I'll get these. We'll have you moved in before you know it."

"I don't think I'm quite getting my point across to you, Diana." He tried again as she picked up the next to suitcases.

"I understand what you're saying, Kal, I do. If it makes you feel better, I know you gave your word to my mother and you have never broken your word before, so that should make things simpler."

"You'd think, wouldn't you,' he said half-heartedly. Diana stopped and looked at him.

"Kal, while I don't mind helping you move in, a marriage as I understand it is supposed to be a partnership,' she stated. "I hope you don't expect me to do all of this for you, do you?"

That surreal feeling he'd had since this all started came rushing back to him. He'd given his word and she trusted him so in Diana's mind there wasn't an issue. He tried to think of someway to explain to her that while he might have the best intentions even he had limits. His mind was blank as how exactly he could get that across to her.

"Kal, I asked you if you expect me to wait on you, because that's not going to happen!"

"No, Diana, I wasn't expecting that,' he finally said. Not sure what else to do, he picked up the remaining suitcases, glanced upward with a sigh and stepped into the bedroom.

"Why do you keep looking at the ceiling, Kal,' she asked.

* * *

Later

Diana had just finished giving a rather flustered Clark the tour of the house and they were standing in the living room. Even in his confusion, he had to admit she'd done a wonderful job decorating and told her so.

"Thank you, Kal, that means a lot of me,' she replied with a satisfied smile. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but as this was the first time she'd attempted anything like decorating an entire house by herself, Diana was a little anxious about how it had come out. That he liked what she'd done helped ease some of those nervous feelings.

"I couldn't help noticing there's no TV,' he said. "Is it arriving later?"

"No, I didn't get one,' she replied.

"Really? Why not," he asked.

"It seemed like a waste to me,' she explained. "We have one at the Embassy, but I rarely watch it. To just sit there mindlessly staring at the picture is unproductive, when you could be doing so many other things."

"That's sort of the point of a TV, Diana, 'he said. "After a long day it's just nice to flop down in front of it and veg out on some mindless entertainment."

He could see she was buying this argument, so he tried another.

"It's the American way, Diana."

"Kal, I grew up on an island without them so I would think you can last a month,' she stated.

"So no TV, what are you suggesting we do instead?"

"Given our busy schedules it shouldn't be too difficult to fill the time. You could read or garden, exercise or just take a nice long walk,' she offered.

"This really is going to be a long month,' he said under his breath.

"Look, just try it my way, Kal and if you still don't like it after a week or two, I guess we can get one."

"I'll try,' he weakly replied.

"Thank you, that's all I ask,' Diana said. "Now that you've seen the house, what would you like to do first?"

"I think I know just the thing,' he replied and headed towards the kitchen. Diana was right behind him the whole way. Clark walked over the brand new stainless steel refrigerator and opened it up. Empty. He looked at her over his shoulder.

"No TV and no groceries, huh?"

"I didn't know where you purchase them," she admitted. "Someone usually took care of that for me."

Clark gave a little smile as he could see she hated admitting this, as it was a reminder of just how much of a Princess she really was.

"Well, then I guess it's time I introduced you to one of the great parts of the Man's World, Diana,' he said to her.

"And that would be what,' she asked.

He went over to his briefcase and fished around in it for a second. Diana was standing right next to him watching all of this. Clark found what he was looking for and pulled out a handful of papers.

"Take out menus,' he informed her with a grin. "I had Kara grab one from every restaurant in town on the way in. You just pick what you want, call and they'll bring it right to the door."

"I know what take out is, Kal,' she fired back at him.

"Ever ordered anything?"

"Well, no, but I think I grasp the concept."

"Since this is our first night here, why don't you do the honors then,' he suggested.

"What would you like,' she asked, leafing through the flyers.

"As you did all the work setting this place up it should be your choice. I'm fine with anything you pick."

"How about Thai,' she asked. "I've heard it's very good."

"It is,' he agreed. "It's one of my favorites. Make sure to get it extra spicy. Did you need to use my phone?"

"No thank you, I have one of my own,' Diana replied. He raised his hands in a show of surrender and moved over and sat down at the little breakfast nock while she dialed the number. After a few awkward moments, he had to admit she handled it just fine. They had fifteen minutes until it arrived, so he offered to set the table.

"I didn't get any plates, either,' she admitted.

"Knives and forks?"

"No."

"Good thing you didn't order spaghetti,' he joked, but she wasn't amused.

"It should fine, they usually throw in chopsticks and napkins. We'll just have to eat out of the cartons tonight."

"Okay, I guess that will be all right," Diana replied, still a little embarrassed at forgetting something so simple as cutlery.

"Hey, don't let it bother you, Diana,' Clark offered, seeing her reaction. "When I first moved to Metropolis I didn't even have a table for the first three months. I ate everything standing over the sink."

Despite herself, Diana found she was smiling at the image of Clark eating over his kitchen sink.

"Well, I did get a table, Kal," she said with a little teasing tone in her voice.

"Chairs too?"

She playfully smacked him on the shoulder.

"Yes, chairs too!"

"Than we're all set, we just have to wait for the food to arrive."

It was somewhere between that moment and the food arriving at Clark first noticed it. It was something he hadn't been aware of before, as usually their interactions were on the station or in battle. Now that it was just the two of them he realized Diana stood too close to him.

Most people consider their personal space somewhere between two to four feet. It's the distance between two people when they shake hands. Maybe it was from growing up in the Midwest, in a small conservative farming town, but Clark tended to be more comfortable with the four-feet of distance between them. Apparently Diana was more of a two-foot person.

Being a four-foot of personal space type, having someone in that comfort zone tends to make a person uncomfortable, even anxious which is exactly was Clark was starting to experience. He found himself continually stepping back putting a little more distance between them.

After this happened a few times, Diana noticed it too. Being a two-foot of personal space type she found this annoying and kept stepping closer. Maybe it was from being raised on an island closed off from the world, she was naturally more open. She was used to being around her fellow Amazons and they tended to stand closer together. She was much more comfortable standing close to the person she was talking to them. The added distance Clark kept putting between them seemed standoffish and irritating to her.

The sound of the front doorbell rescued Clark from saying anything. He went to the door, very aware that Diana was right beside him. He opened it and there was a teenage delivery guy standing there holding their food.

"Order for…' the young man started to say, but then he saw Diana. The words seemed to die on his lips as he just stared. Clark rolled his eyes and then snapped his fingers in front of the kid's face.

"You were saying?'

"Oh, right, order for Kent. Twenty-two, fifty,' the delivery boy stammered.

Clark pulled out thirty and handed it to him, while taking the bag of food. The delivery boy kept standing there until Clark loudly said, "Thank you!"

"Oh, right, right, thanks for the tip,' he said, glancing down at the money finally. "Call anytime!"

"We'll keep it in mind, thanks again,' Clark replied as he closed the door.

"He seemed friendly,' Diana observed.

"Yeah, I imagine you get that a lot, don't you?'

"Yes, most people I meet seem friendly now that you mention it,' she confirmed. "How did you know?"

"Just a guess,' he offered. "So are you ready to eat?"

"Yes, I'm famished, but why did you give him more money than he asked for?"

"it's a tip, Diana,' he explained. "It's a way of saying thank you."

"I know what a tip is, Kal, but why did you give him one? He was polite, but I didn't see anything special about the service."

"Well, I worked jobs like that when I was in high school, so I know they don't really make that much money. It's just a way of showing that you appreciate him and the job he has to do."

"That's interesting, I'd never thought of it that way."

She led the way into the dinning room and they spread out the napkins and food on the table. Diana sat a little closer than he would have liked, but Clark tried to concentrate on the food.

"This is very good, you were right,' she said between mouthfuls.

'I told you,' he agreed. "It has always been one of my favorites.'

"Your favorite, I'll keep that in mind, " she replied.

They ate mostly in silence, enjoying the food while it was hot. Diana certainly had a healthy appetite, Clark observed, not a diet coke and small salad type for sure. When they finally finished, they both agreed the meal had been excellent. They shared the clean up and then moved back to the living room. Clark would have liked nothing better than to drop down on the couch and flip on the TV, but there wasn't one. He supposed he could read, but that seemed like too much effort. His computer, he thought, hoping they had Wi-Fi.

"Kal, I was thinking we should talk,' Diana said. It seemed the computer would have to wait.

"What would you like to talk about?"

"I've been thinking that since we are going to be here for a month, we should discuss how we met and the details of our marriage,' she suggested. "Someone is bound to ask, so we should be in agreement on what we will say."

"That sounds logical,' he admitted. "So where do you want to start?"

He sat down on the couch, towards the middle to have the discussion and Diana sat down right next to him. Too close, he thought and moved a little bit further to the one side. She noticed this, but let it go for the moment.

"So how did we meet," she said.

"Well, your back story is that you are from Greece, right?"

"Yes, a small island, Kythira part of the Ionian Islands is what Bruce put down since I can't use Themyscira as my home."

"Do you even know what it's like?"

"Yes, actually when I first came to the man's world I traveled quite a bit. I wanted to see all the places I'd read about and I actually stopped on Kythira. It's a little island, rather rugged terrain, but very beautiful."

"Well, how about we met there,' Clark suggested. "I've done some traveling in Europe as a reporter so it wouldn't be that far of a stretch."

"I don't think so,' she said. "It's a very small island and it seems unlikely you would have ever visited it even as a reporter."

"Okay, what would you suggest, Diana?"

"Well, since I'm supposed to be an immigrant, perhaps we met in Athens as I was traveling to America,' she offered. "I know you've been to Athens before."

"Yes, I have, all right we met in Athens,' he agreed. "So we hit it off right from the start and the next thing you know we were getting married. Sounds good."

"I think we need a little more detail that that, Kal,' she disagreed, moving closer to him. "What if someone asks the first thing you noticed about me, what would you say?"

Clark inches a little further away as tried to remember the first time he met her. There were the obvious things, but somehow he knew she would appreciate him saying that. Thinking back, it was her smile that seemed so vivid in his memory.

"Your smile."

"Really,' she asked, a bit surprised by this. Diana suddenly felt self conscious of her smile and kept her lips closed.

"Yes, you have an amazing smile, Diana."

"Thank you, Kal,' she said blushing just a bit. "It was your hands that I first noticed."

"My hands?" He said, glancing down at them. "I've had people say my eyes before, but never my hands, Diana."

"I of course noticed your eyes, Kal, but your hands seemed so powerful yet gentle at the same time."

It was his turn to blush.

"Um, ah, thanks. So what then, did I ask you out?"

"No, I asked you' Diana informed him.

"Yeah, that would make a lot more sense, " he admitted. He found himself distracted again, as she moved closer once again. He realized he was rapidly running out of couch as he shifted further away. Diana immediately moved closer too. He just needed a little more space in his comfort zone and quickly moved to the chair from the couch.

"So what then?"

"Kal, would you care to explain why you keep moving away from me? You've been doing it all night!"

He could see she was annoyed and knew she wasn't going to like his explanation. Even now she was leaning forward pushing into his four-feet of personal space.

"First night jitters?"

"Kal!"

It was definitely going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

Unintended

"The Swimmer"

Gotham Heights

His hand arched up and then moved forward, slicing into the water. His feet effortlessly kicked, propelling him ahead as he rolled his shoulders and brought his other arm over. Reaching one end of the pool, he executed a flip turn and glide back underwater. He could easily have spanned the whole pool this way, but he wasn't using his powers, so he broke the surface and turned his head. Taking a breath, he began anew. He'd been out here for the last hour.

There was a light layer of steam coming off the heated pool at this early hour of the morning. It had been a long time since Clark swam laps, probably since high school. He was on the swim team briefly, but then another of his powers kicked in. That was the end of competitive swimming for him. It wasn't fair anymore. It was the side of his powers most never considered. He was just as competitive as the next person, but because of his talents he never had a chance to truly compete at anything really.

That's probably where it started for him, the non-aggressive posture that was second nature now. A teenager his size the questions naturally came about him joining the team. After awhile he just got tied of making excuses and started to consciously present himself as mild mannered and slightly awkward. He got so good at it the questions stopped and the idea of him trying out for the team almost became a joke among his high school classmates.

As he reached the other end, he flipped and headed back. Gliding under the water, Clark remembered sitting in the stands watching others get all the cheers from the crowd. The pretty girls and cheerleaders rushing passed him as they greeted the football players getting off the bus, hardly even noticing he existed. That was the most difficult part of it all. Every teenager wants to stand out and be noticed, but he wasn't allowed. With great power comes great responsibility he had heard over and over growing up. He knew it was true and accepted it, but just once it would have been nice to see the pretty girl rushing to him not passed.

The irony of his present situation wasn't lost on him. Clark was living with the prettiest girl of all, yet she was interested in another. He was the nice guy helping her as she pursued the rich captain of the football team, just like back in high school. He wasn't the same person he was than, but there would always be a small part of him that would wonder what if?

As hard as it was back then, it had helped him he later realized. He'd been forced to channel those energies in other directions, to use his mind instead of his body. Being a reporter and writer wasn't dependent on his physical gifts. It didn't matter if he could shatter mountains or leap tall buildings only that he could turn a phrase or convey an idea.

Maybe those experiences helped him when he finally did get his share of attention too. He'd just started out to help others where he could, but when he finally made the transition to Superman suddenly the spotlight was brighter than he ever imagined. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't liked the adoration that came with being Superman at first. Having women jump off buildings just to meet him was certainly good for his ego. Perhaps because he was a little older he quickly understood that it wasn't really him they were in love with and adored, but the uniform just like the captain of the football team.

It made him realize just how special the few women were that hadn't rushed by him when he was just Clark Kent. That was the reason he was always cautious around women when he was Superman, even the women of the League. Part of him always wondered if they were just attracted to Superman or if they saw the man underneath the costume, Clark Kent?

As he reached the end of the pool, Clark briefly stopped and glanced up at the second floor bedroom window. She was probably still sleeping. He was out here because a rather disturbing dream woke him up. It was a dream about Diana. He knew nothing good could come from those kinds of thoughts. They were both his friends and someone would get hurt if he pursued them.

Clark turned away from the window and started swimming back towards the other end.

* * *

The Watchtower

A rather glum Zatanna sat in the cafeteria nursing a cup of coffee. Her shift had ended a little while ago, but she hadn't felt like going home yet. The whole situation the last few days with the bet wasn't exactly to her liking, but there wasn't really anything she could do. 'Home wrecker', even a make believe home, really wasn't something she wanted on her resume. Besides, even though they weren't exactly close, she did consider Diana a friend and friends don't do that to friends. So here she sat, miserable but not sure there was anything she could do about it.

Dinah, Shayera and Mari entered the cafeteria and saw her. Being her friends they had two choices. One was to try and comfort her and tell her things would work out or two, tease her. Being her friends, they chose the later. She being their friend knew it was coming and would give as good as she got. Walking over to her table they were all smiles as they sat down.

"How's your night going, Zee,' Shayera asked. "Super?"

"Shut up," Zatanna moodily replied.

"Someone's not in a very good mood,' Mari observed.

"Well, she couldn't let Dinah be the only buzz kill around her,' Shayera joked.

"Hey!" Dinah protested. "You know that's just because I have to deal with that imbecile Plastic Man!"

"Where is he by the way?"

"Moscow. I sent him to investigate the sewers,' Dinah informed them.

"What's in the sewers,' Zee absently asked.

"I don't know, that's why he's investigating,' Dinah replied with a smile.

"Jeez, I thought you were kidding about having a shit list,' Zee muttered.

"I never kid about something like that, so watch it."

"You're kind of evil when you get on your bad side,' Mari offered.

"Yeah, yeah, she's a badass, whatever, but that's not the subject at hand,' Shayera interrupted. "Zee's pining away here for Superman."

Shayera smiled as Zee gave her a look.

"I'm not pining," Zatanna protested.

"Oh, come on, everyone knows you like him,' Dinah said.

"I'm not saying I do, but why wouldn't I? I mean I'm single and he's single. He's good looking and nice, what would be so wrong about that?" Zee turned to the Shayera and Mari. "Look we're all single, well, except Dinah."

"Hey, I'm single,' she replied.

"You keep telling yourself that,' Zee said with a smirk. "As I was saying, we're single and how many nice, handsome guys are we meeting? Most of them only want to go out with us because we're famous or in the Justice League. It would be nice to go out with someone who that wasn't the only reason they wanted to be with us."

"But now he's living with Diana,' Shayera pointed out.

"Yeah, I know,' Zee admitted.

"So what are you going to do,' Shayera asked.

"What can I do? They're married, well, sort of anyway, besides, Diana's a friend, I would never do that to a friend," Zee explained.

'You're not that good of friends,' Dinah teased.

"I still wouldn't do anything,' Zee replied. "I mean how would it be if I started hitting on Ollie? Wait, forget that, bad example, I would never do that, he's not my type at all."

"What's wrong with Ollie,' Dinah asked, a little indignant at Zee's tone. The other three just looked at her for a moment. Dinah wanted to protest more, but finally just shrugged and nodded her head. "Okay, he's got his issues, I'll admit."

"Look, take Mari, we're friends, how would you feel if I started going after John?" Zee asked, but then looked at Shayera. "Forget that one too, another bad example. Aren't there any normal couples in the League?"

The other three sat back trying to think of one.

"Huntress and Question?"

"God, that's sad if they're the normal couple,' Zee groaned.

"Ollie and I are more normal than they are,' Dinah stated.

"That's a real testament to your relationship that you're more normal than the nut and his psycho girlfriend, Dinah,' Shayera teased.

"Watch it, or you'll be on my list."

"Again with the list,' Zee asked.

"You're not sending me to the sewers, no way,' Shayera protested.

"Don't worry, I think I can think of something even better for you,' Dinah said with a smile.

"She's power mad all of a sudden," Shayera replied. She turned back to Zatanna, giving Dinah a sideways glance. "So what are you going to do, Zee?"

"What can I do? It's not like I see him that much to begin with and now he's in the suburbs."

"You could move there, you're rich remember?"

"I don't like him that much,' Zee grumbled.

"You know if this bet ends, so would the marriage,' Mari offered.

"Yeah, I guess I'll just have to wait it out."

"Can you do that,' Dinah asked.

"Yes! Jeez, you make me sound like some crazy stalker,' Zee protested. "I'm just interested, that's all! It's not like I'm in love with the guy, I'd just maybe like to go out on a date with him. Okay?"

"Isn't he dating Lois Lane,' Mari asked.

"Are you enjoying punishing me,' Zee asked. "Is that it? Like I don't have enough to worry about with him living with Diana?"

"Just a date, huh?"

"Yes, but if you keep throwing roadblocks in the way, I won't even get that,' Zee protested.

"Just for the sake of argument,' Dinah began. "Let's say I agree with you, Clark's a really good-looking guy and I can understand your interest. Again for the sake of argument, say I've even thought about it in the past. Suppose you go out on a date with him, how are you going to sleep with him? There's that whole Man of Steel issue, remember?"

"I didn't say I was going to sleep with him,' Zee gasped. "I was just talking about a date, dinner, maybe a movie!"

"When did you think about going out with Clark,' Mari asked. "I thought you've been with Ollie forever?"

"We're not talking about me,' Diana quickly said and then turned her attention back to Zee. "So how do you get around that little problem?"

"Dinner, Dinah, just a date, not sleeping together!"

"Yeah, but what if it goes really well,' Dinah replied with a smile. Shayera leaned over to Mari.

"I guess we know why Ollie's always coming back."

Dinah reached over and smacked Shayera.

"This close, Shayera, this close!"

"Oh, not the list again, please!"

"I'm just telling you,' Dinah replied and then shifted her attention back to Zee.

"So?"

"So what?"

"So what about it? The whole Man of Steel issue and you sleeping with him,' Dinah asked.

"I'm not sleeping with him, would you stop saying that,' Zee protested.

"Can he even sleep with a human woman,' Mari asked. "When you were hot for him, what did you come up with?"

"Again, not talking about me,' Dinah informed her. "I think he would really have to control himself to pull it off.'

"No one has that much control,' Shayera chimed in. Mari and Dinah nodded in agreement, as Zatanna blushed.

"Just for you information, that's all,' she said. "I'm not human, I'm Magi and we're stronger than normal humans."

"I doubt that,' Shayera said with a shake of her head. "Come on Zee, you're just a slight thing, he'd break you in half.'

"We're also stronger than you bird people,' Zee informed Shayera.

"Please. You're built like a dancer, not a warrior."

"Well, if you remember when you three were in that illegal fight club getting your asses handed to you by Diana, you may have noticed they didn't abduct me," Zee proudly said. "That should tell you something, Shayera."

"They didn't abduct Star Girl either, that proves nothing,' Shayera fired back.

"Just trust me, I'm a lot stronger than I look. Besides, if I ever was to sleep with him, I'd figure something out,' Zee replied. "But I'm not looking to sleep with him, just a date, okay?"

"So how do you think you'd do it,' Dinah asked. "You know, just for conversation."

"When exactly were you interested in him, Dinah,' Mari asked.

"Could we focus on Zee, Mari, please?" Dinah gave her a look, but as she turned back to Zatanna she blushed a little.

"It doesn't matter,' Zee lamented. "I'm probably not even going to see him for a whole month anyway."

Batman entered the cafeteria and seeing Zatanna made his way over to her table.

"Zatanna, could I speak to you for a moment," he said.

"Yeah go ahead."

He glanced at the other women, who were not staring at him. He would have preferred to do this in private, but the look on Zee's face told him she wouldn't go along with that.

"All right, as part of the bet, I sort of owe Clark a favor,' Bruce began.

"Because you got him married,' Dinah asked. Bruce shot her a glance and then started to ignore her question.

"Was it,' Zee asked before he could continue. he sighed and grumbled a bit before answering.

"Yes, in part, anyway, since you're going to be in Gotham next week, I suggested you would be willing to give him an interview. So how about it?"

Zee's eyes lit up, but she managed to keep the smile from breaking over her lips.

"Well, maybe, Bruce, I guess I could do you this favor, but I'd want one from you in return,' she said.

"What?"

"You have to come to my show."

"I'm too busy,' he immediately replied.

"Well, I guess that means no interview than,' she said, holding her hand up in the air. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next.

"All right, one show, that's it,' he finally agreed.

'That's all I ask,' Zee said with a smile. "I'll do the interview for you."

"For me, right,' Bruce drily said and then headed off.

"You are so lucky, it's sickening,' Dinah groaned.

"Why the fake reluctance? You were dying to see Clark a moment ago,' Mari asked.

"I just wanted to mess with Bruce a little,' Zee admitted. "I like seeing him make that face when he doesn't get his way."

"So now that you are going to see him, just out of curiosity, how would you get around that Man of Steel thing,' Dinah said.

The other three looked at her.

"What?"

* * *

Gotham Heights - Evening

The group had gotten together for another ritual, but there was some tension in the air. LuAnn had managed to get a goat this time, but the excitement wasn't the same. As they were all putting on their ceremonial robes, Bob suddenly spoke up.

"Everybody, could I talk to you for a moment?'

The others turned and looked at him, but didn't say anything. He bowed his head for a moment and then looked each of them in the eye one by one before he finally spoke.

"I just wanted to apologize for the incident last time,' he said. "I know I got a little out of hand there. It's just that the monkey was really pushing my buttons and I snapped. I mean these are really nice ceremonial robes that the ladies made and Carl's taken such nice care of at his dry cleaners, I just felt the monkey was mocking not just me, but everything we're trying to do here. I lost my temper when he starting flinging his feces, I'll admit it. There's no excuse, but I'm sorry. I hope it didn't ruin what we have here for all of you. Again, I'm sorry."

Everyone was touched by his words from the heart. Cubby was the first to go over and give him a hug. One by one the other followed. As Cubby put on his pointy hat, there was a tear in his eye.

"I knew you are all good people and that's what makes this special for me. We're not just a bunch of Satan worshippers, but dare I say it, a family. Sure, we all come from slightly different backgrounds, but we've come together for a common cause, getting Satan to help our businesses. After listening to Bob, I have to say I see him not as just another Satan worshipper, but as a friend. That's the way I see you all, as friends."

"Here! Here!" Phil added.

"You know, when I used to raise and show AKC poodles, I always felt like something was missing,' Jenny said. "I was looking for what we have here, a community."

"That's the same reason I joined the model ship-in-a-bottle builders association,' Ted added.

"What ever happened to them,' Bob asked.

"It was cancelled, an extreme bout of ennui,' Ted replied. "But here, I've found that connection.'

"I don't know about everyone else, but I can feel the love in this room,' Cubby said. "Now let's get in there and kill that goat for Satan!"

Everyone cheered.

"Don't forget, there's peach cobbler afterwards,' LuAnn added.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Early

The smell of fresh brewing coffee brought Diana out of her slumber. Almost instinctively her hand reached to the other side of the bed, but only found the cool, crisp sheets. Opening her eyes, she glanced around the room, but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have got up to make coffee, she thought, not wanting to get out of the comfort of the bed just yet.

Diana smiled to herself as she thought about the previous night. They'd had their first disagreements, but nothing major. She still didn't understand his two feet versus four feet comfort zone problem, but if that was the worst thing, it wasn't too bad. She had to admit, when it finally came time for bed, she had been nervous. She had argued with everyone, even him that it wasn't that big a deal, but when the actually moment came, it was.

As she prepared for bed, changing into her nightgown in the bathroom Diana found her hands shaking a little. All the reasons and arguments she had used suddenly didn't seem as strong in the face of actually sleeping in the same bed with him. She found herself modest, quite unlike her usual self. Perhaps it was nerves, but she fussed with the dressing gown that went over her nightgown for much longer than was necessary.

She heard the door to the bedroom open and close and realized he had finished changing into his pajamas in the other bathroom. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. She knew this wasn't an actually real marriage, but at that moment she felt like a bride on her wedding night. She was going to sleep with her husband for the first time. It was silly, but she had jitters at the thought.

She finally opened the door to the bedroom and stepped out of the bathroom. He was already in bed reading and glanced up when he heard her. He seemed to forget about his book at the sight of her. Diana found herself blushing and quickly tried to shift the focus off herself. She asked if he was wearing new pajamas, as she could still see the sharp folds from them just being taken out of the package. It was his turn to blush, admitting they were new and that he usually didn't sleep in pajamas.

He told her she looked lovely and she thanked him as she moved to her side of the bed. She fumbled with the knotted belt of her gown and finally managed to slip it off. She felt very vulnerable standing there in just her nightgown, which was strange as she had never been self conscious before. She gave him a tentative smile, which he returned, as she pulled down the covers and slipped in next to him.

He set his book on the nightstand and looked at her before turning out the light. Good night, Diana, he said and she said Good night, Kal. He turned off the light and then moved down under the covers. She had never been more aware of another human being in her life than she was of him at the moment. Again she tried to tell herself this was no different than if they had to share a room on a mission, but it certainly felt different.

Diana finally decided the best thing to do was to just go to sleep and not let her mind make more of this than it was. Unfortunately as she shifted in the bed she brushed against him. Goosebumps immediately rose on her skin. He didn't say anything for which she was thankful. She was very aware of how warm his skin was. It probably had something to do with the source of his powers, but she had never noticed it quite so much.

Eventually she drifted off to sleep, the exact moment she was sure of. Now it was morning and she had slept wonderfully, which surprised her. As she ran her hand over the empty side of the bed, she could still detect a faint hint of him on the sheets. It was a clean, earthy smell that brought a smile to her face. Sleeping next to him had been much easier than she had expected last night. She had slept so well, she hadn't heard him get up.

Now the thought of where he was came to her and she pulled back the covers and sat up. Her dressing gown sat on the chair next to the bed and she stood and slipped it on. The sun was just starting to come up, so Diana went over to the window to open the curtains. As she was about to, she glanced down to see Clark swimming in the pool. There was a light mist coming off the water, but she knew immediately who it was by the powerful stroke.

She stood there for a moment, just watching him swim his laps. Diana found herself wondering if he did this often. She had always felt of the League members, she knew him the best, but now she wondered about that. He was Kal to her, but there was a whole other life he had that she was just realizing she knew hardly anything about. It brought back those pictures she had unpackaged earlier of his. Lois Lane, Diana knew he was in lo…involved with her, but none of the details.

She had been so focused on winning this bet and proving Bruce wrong, she hadn't had time to stop and consider what this would mean for her and Kal. No, she told herself, don't let your mind go down that path. He's your friend and helping you win this bet. Those thoughts would only lead to complications and someone would get hurt. Besides, whatever his relationship with Lois, he's involved with her and you are sort of involved with Bruce, she reminded herself. Don't make more of this than it is. He's just helping you as a friend, that's it.

Diana left the curtains alone and stepped away. If she'd remained a moment longer, she might have seen Clark stop and glance up at the window.

Diana tied the dressing gown around her and headed downstairs. The smell of coffee grew stronger with each step. She had to smile as she walked into the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was a new coffee maker, fresh ground coffee, a mug and some fruit. It seems Kal had gone out for supplies. Taking the large, plain mug she poured herself a cup and let the aroma bring her fully awaken. She was just taking her first sip, when the sound of splashing caught her attention.

Diana glanced out the patio doors and saw Clark climbing out of the pool. He was just wearing a boxer style swimsuit and the steam of the water was coming off his body. He moved over to the patio table and picked up his towel, brushing his hair off his face. In that moment, he might had been the most handsome man Diana had ever seen.

"Pretty."

The word slipped from her lips before she even realized it. When she did, she blushed and turned away.


	10. Chapter 10

Standings

"Lying, questions and thoughts"

Gotham Heights

Every society has its rituals, its customs. From the most Neolithic tribes in darkest Africa to the most advance post-modern societies they are understood by the in-crowd and help smooth the gears of the society.

Coffee Cake.

For those that live in the suburbs, coffee cake has become part of the ritual of welcoming a new neighbor. It says, hi, we are going to be living next to each other, so we spent five to ten bucks as a way of meeting you. For your part as the new neighbor, you are expected to invite them in for coffee and a piece of the cake while you all get to know each other. You may never actually speak to your neighbors again, only wave as you come in and out of your house, but it helps you become part of the neighborhood.

As Cubby and LuAnn Vinton made their way up the new neighbors sidewalk, LuAnn was still fussing with the presentation of the coffee cake.

"I don't know why you had to splurge on a bakery coffee cake," Cubby grumbled. "Sara Lee was good enough for all the other neighbors."

"I want to make a good impression, Cubby,' LuAnn replied. "They bought the biggest house in the neighborhood so they must have money. Aren't you always going on about first impressions in your business?"

"Well, yes," Cubby admitted. He turned and looked across the street at his own house. "I think our house stacks up just fine with this one. Maybe it's not as showy, but it's quality, you can tell."

"They have a pool, Cubby," LuAnn pointed out.

"Like I said, showy, but look at this, regular wood. That's going to be nothing but headaches for them. If you compare it to our house with the aluminum siding, I think we come out on top. That siding is built to last."

"Maybe you can talk them into siding their house,' LuAnn offered. Cubby was still looking fondling at his own house as LuAnn rang the bell.

'That aluminum siding is guaranteed for thirty years, while this wood will never stand up,' he was saying a the door opened.

"Yes," Diana said as she opened the door. Cubby was just finishing his thoughts on aluminum siding versus wood as he turned towards the voice.

"Holy, God Almighty," he gasped as he lay eyes on Diana for the first time. It took an elbow to the ribs from his wife to snap him out of it. "I-I mean, hello!"

"Welcome to the neighborhood,' LuAnn cheerfully said, holding out the coffee cake to Diana. She reflexively took it as it was pressed into her hands and looked at the two.

"Um, thank you,' she said, not sure what this was all about. They both just stood there smiling at her and then it suddenly hit Diana what they were waiting for. Fishing into her pants pocket, she pulled out a five-dollar bill and handed it to LuAnn.

"Thank you, I appreciate the work you do,' she said with a smile and then closed the door. As she carried coffee cake towards the kitchen, Clark was just coming out of the room he was using as an office.

"Was someone at the door?"

"Yes, a nice couple gave us a cake,' Diana replied, holding it up for him to see.

"Coffee cake? Oh, jeez,' Clark said and then quickly headed for the front door.

"It's alright, Kal, I already tipped them,' Diana called after him.

"I'll explain it later, Diana,' He called over his shoulder. Moving as fast as a normal man would, he got the door and opened it. Standing there were a rather stunned and confused Cubby and LuAnn. "Hello, I'm Clark Kent."

He smiled and offered his hand to them. LuAnn immediately smiled on seeing him.

"Hello, I'm LuAnn Vinton,' she replied. She held his hand a little longer than necessary, even using the two handed grip. For a moment, Clark wondered what that was about, but the man with her was holding his hand out as well.

"Cubby, Cubby Vinton,' he said. Clark managed to extricate himself from LuAnn and returned the handshake.

"Was that your wife," Cubby asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes, Diana, she's quite the kidder," Clark offered, going with the first thought that popped into his head. It seemed to work, as the two of them smiled and nodded their heads.

"She really had us going there,' Cubby chuckled.

"Yeah, she's a regular riot sometimes,' Clark replied. The three stood there for a moment, all politely chuckling then Clark realized they wanted to come in.

"Oh, why don't you come in," he said, stepping back to let them enter. LuAnn brushed against him and smiled at they passed him into the house. Diana had been watching all of this more than a little confused. Yes, it was a nice cake, but why did they have to let them in the house?

"Diana, these are our new neighbors, Chubby and LuAnn Vinton,' Clark said.

"Cubby, it's Cubby.' He corrected him, smiling at Diana.

"Yes, I said hello to you both at the door,' she replied. She glanced at Clark for an explanation.

"They came over to get acquainted."

"Oh,' she said, still not understanding what the cake had to do with anything. She did notice that LuAnn had pocketed the five dollars she gave her.

"Why don't you two come in and sit down,' Clark said. "We're still unpacking, so if you give us a moment, I'll see if I can find some plates and gets some coffee going."

Cubby and LuAnn nodded and stepped into the living room, sizing up the furniture. Clark was all smiles as he moved over and gently took Diana by the arm and led her into the kitchen.

"Talk about a looker, huh,' Cubby mused.

"Yes, he is,' LuAnn absently replied, watching Clark as he walked to the kitchen. Cubby turned and gave his wife a look, but didn't say anything.

* * *

In the kitchen, Clark was scrambling to make some coffee and find some plates, as Diana set the coffee cake on the counter.

"Why did you invite them in, Kal? We don't even know them,' she asked.

"It's just what you do, Diana," he replied, finding only paper plates.

"Why?"

"Coffee cake, Diana."

"What about it?"

"It's the universal signal in the suburbs that your neighbors are welcoming you to the neighborhood. You let them in, talk awhile, eat some of the cake and drink some coffee," he said. "And before you ask, I don't know why, it's just the way things are done."

"So anyone that shows up with food at our door, we have to let in the house?"

"No, not anyone, Diana,' Clark started to explain, but as he turned he saw Diana was smiling. "What?"

"That was a joke, Kal."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, give me some credit,' she said with a laugh.

"So closing the door in their face was a joke?"

"No,' she admitted. "But I did figure it out after you invited them in. I may not know what this ritual is, but I recognized one when I see it. Why cake though? Why not wine or spirits if they want to celebrate our arrival?"

Clark held up his hands and sighed, having no good answer for her question.

"Welcome to the suburbs, Diana."

* * *

In the living room, Cubby and LuAnn were inspecting the furniture and decorations, impressed with how expensive they must have been.

"Someone's must be doing pretty well to afford this stuff,' Cubby observed.

"I'm liking him more and more,' LuAnn said with a smile. They both turned as Clark and Diana came back into the room, carrying a tray of coffee and the cake.

"Hope paper plates are all right, as I said, we're still get situated,' Clark offered.

"Oh, that's fine, Clark, just fine,' LuAnn said, moving over to help him with the tray. As Diana set the plates and cups down, she couldn't help but notice how friendly the woman seemed to be towards Clark. This LuAnn seemed overly familiar with him and Diana found she didn't like it.

"Coffee, LuAnn,' Diana asked, holding out a cup.

"Yes, thank you."

"Chubby?"

"It's Cubby like a bear,' he explained with a smile.

"Oh, I thought it was Chubby because of you are so …" Diana started to say, but Clark cut her off.

"So who wants cake?"

* * *

The Watchtower

Zatanna stood looking out the observation lounge windows, trying to figure out what she was going to do. She heard the door open and feel the rush of air.

"Hey, Zee, what are you doing in here all alone?"

"Just thinking, Wally,' she replied. Zee turned and saw he seemed a little nervous. "What's going on?"

"Trying to avoid, Dinah,' he admitted as he walked over next to her.

"Why? What did you do?"

"Nothing, I swear!' He raised his right hand at this. "I was just talking with Plastic Man, you know. He just got back from Moscow and apparently the sewers are all safe there. So we're joking around, I mean the guy's a riot! Anyway, Dinah comes in and as soon as she sees him she gets this look on her face."

"She doesn't like him,' Zee replied.

"Thanks for the breaking news,' Wally sarcastically said. "All of a suddenly she gets really pissed and starts muttering about some list. I figured I'd get out of there, pronto."

"What did he say,' Zee asked.

"It was just a silly joke,' Wally said. "_Why does a blonde smile during a lighting storm? Because she thinks a picture is being taking._ I mean, come on, that's sort of funny!"

Zee gave a little smile as she shook her head.

"She's going to kill him."

"I know,' Wally added. "She didn't look too happy with Jonn or me, either. I've never seen him phase through the floor that fast before. I figured time to exit, stage left!"

"You might want to stay out of her way for awhile."

"That was the plan. What's with her lately, anyway? Ollie cheat on her again or something?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"That would make avoiding her really hard."

He was looking at Zatanna now and could tell something was up with her. It wasn't like her to be alone looking out at the stars like this. She was one of the more social of the members and always worth a laugh or two. She seemed down to him and he had to wonder why.

"So what's up with you, Zee,' he asked.

"Just thinking,' she replied.

"Superman?"

"Oh God,' she groaned. "Does everyone know about that?"

"Not everyone," Wally offered. "So are you going to make your move on Big Blue?"

"NO!"

"Okay, just asking,' Wally said, taking a step back.

"Sorry, I'm just kind of confused,' she admitted. "I don't know what to do."

"Seems pretty straight forward to me,' Wally replied. "You're single, he's single and you like him. What's the problem?"

"Diana."

'What about her?"

"Well, she is sort of married to him and they are living together."

"Yeah, that is weird,' Wally admitted. "See I thought this whole bet thing was about her and Bruce being interested in each other, but he was pulling that Mr. Cold Shoulder routine."

"That's what I thought too,' Zee said. "Now, though, I don't know what's going on. I thought she liked Bruce, but she's living with Clark. The bet's to prove she can understand Bruce's world, but she's married to Clark. I don't know what to do."

"What do you want to do,' Wally asked.

"Well, Diana's my friend, so if she's interested in Clark, I'll back off,' Zee explained.

"They do make a handsome couple,' Wally offered. This got him a look from Zatanna.

"The thing is if she's not interested in Clark and still interested in Bruce does that mean she wouldn't mind me maybe asking Clark out? Then, even if she were interested in Bruce, wouldn't it be too weird for me to be asking her sort of husband out? That's not even getting into is Clark even interested in going out with me. It's all so confusing."

"Well, you know if it was me and I was hot for someone, I'd just go ahead and ask them out,' Wally said to her.

"Really?'

"Yes, absolutely. So what are you doing this Saturday night,' he asked. He wagged his eyebrows and gave her sort of a leering smile that was meant be charming.

"Was that an example,' she asked.

"That's depends on your answer."

"No."

"Then yes, yes it was an example."

She gave him a look.

"I thought you were going to ask Fire out anyway,' she said. "What's happening there?"

"I'm working on it. Just waiting for the right moment, is all."

"Well, good luck with that, but don't do that thing with your eyebrows when you ask her out, it's creepy,' Zee replied. "At least your situation is straightforward. If things weren't complicated enough, Bruce got me to do any interview with Clark next week."

"Bruce did,' Wally said. "Interesting."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, come on, he's Batman," Wally replied. "He never does anything without a reason."

"What reason could he have for getting me to do any interview with Clark,' she asked.

"I don't know, but he's sneaky clever."

"Great, now I'm more confused."

"Maybe that's the reason he's doing it,' Wally offered.

"To confuse me? That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Doesn't it,' Wally asked. There was a look in his eye, like he'd just hit on another idea. "Maybe it makes so much sense it's blowing you mind! It's all riddles within puzzles within suitcases with Batman."

"Suitcases?"

"I ran out of analogies for puzzles,' Wally admitted.

"How about imbecile."

"No, I don't think that works,' he replied. "It doesn't even rhyme."

* * *

Gotham

It was getting towards evening. Bruce had learned over the years to prefer the night to the day. It was his element now. As he made his preparations for his nightly patrol, his mind seemed to drift to everything that was happening with the bet. He still didn't believe they would win, but had to admit there was a possibility. As determined as Diana was, Bruce knew she wouldn't give up without a fight.

Part of him wished she would, as it would make things simpler.

Then there was Zatanna. It still irked Bruce she had gotten a promise out of him to attend her show. She knew him much better than he realized. Somewhere along the line she'd grown up from that little girl he met all those years ago, yet she still teased Bruce like when they first met.

He'd of course heard about her crush on Clark. There was a part of him that didn't like it. For her to get involved with Clark would put a big target on her back, he thought, even bigger than if she were involved with … Don't go there, he told himself. You told her there wasn't a chance; so don't start second guessing yourself now.

As irritating as it was, Bruce knew he could use her attraction to Clark to his advantage. Knowing her the way he did, he knew the interview would involve some flirting. It was her nature, Zee was a flirt. Bruce had to smile at this while he double-checked his utility belt. If Diana and Clark made it that long, perhaps it would shake them up a little. The idea was to win and Bruce knew you use every available resource at your disposal.

Just to be safe, he would make sure to monitor the interview between Clark and Zatanna. It was the least he could do for a friend.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark and Diana were saying good-bye to Cubby and LuAnn. They'd done the perfunctory getting to know you ritual and now it was time for the vague promises to do it again sometime.

"So you've got my card, Clark,' Cubby said. "Now I want you and the little lady there to serious consider investing in aluminum siding. It might be the most important decision you make this year.'

"Why do you keep referring to me as the little woman, Cubby,' Diana asked. "I'm clearly taller than you."

"Well, um, I, ah,' Cubby stammered.

"She got you again,' Clark nervously said. "What I tell you, she's a kidder this one."

He put his arm around Diana, hoping she wouldn't correct him. As his hand skimmed over her side, Clark noticed that she flinched for a second. Interesting, he thought.

"Oh, you're a pistol, Diana, a pistol,' Cubby laughed. Diana smiled but didn't say anything in reply.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Clark,' LuAnn said, moving over to him. "I hope you won't be a stranger now that we're acquainted."

She was standing very close to Clark and then suddenly rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. He was surprised by this, as was Diana.

"Remember, we live right across the road, Clark," LuAnn said.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"And when you do, Clark, stop for a moment and take a look at that siding,' Cubby said. "It's the future! Don't be left behind!"

"We will let you know what we decide, Cubby,' Diana said.

"You do that, Diana,' Cubby replied. "Oh and by the way, it was a really pleasure meeting you. Clark you are a lucky man!"

"Yes, he is,' Diana offered. She looked at LuAnn as she said this, smiling the whole time.

"Well, goodnight!"

"Night!"

The four waved to each other and then Diana closed the door.

"Well, that was interesting," Clark mused. "They seem like a friendly couple."

"She seemed a little overly friendly if you asked me,' Diana observed.

"I don't know, Cubby seemed to have a hard time taking his eyes off you the whole night,' Clark replied. He was in a good mood, so decided to tease her just a little. "Apparently your beauty dazzles everyone, Princess."

He received a punch in the arm for his trouble.

"I know you don't like being called Princess. I think I got it,' Clark said, rubbing his shoulder.

"I thought you might," Diana said with a smile.

"Well at least that's over.'

They were walking back into the living room to clean up as they continued discussing the evening.

"Why was she always touching you,' Diana asked.

"I guess she's just a touchy feely kind of person," he replied. "Why?"

"I didn't like it,' she admitted.

"What are you jealous,' Clark said with a laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kal,' Diana said dismissively. "It's just you are my husband for the time being, so it seems rather inappropriate for her to be acting that way right in front of me."

"I'm sure it's nothing."

Diana had her doubts, but decided to let it go.


	11. Chapter 11

I'll Get The Check

Gotham Heights

When you scrape off the top layer of neo-small town bullshit, i.e. the franchise restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries that wrap themselves in a veneer of nondescript words like 'home-style' or 'old fashion' you actually find there is a community underneath. There are actual family restaurants where someone was taught how to make the sauce for your pasta by their mother or father, rather than opening a 10-gallon can shipped in from corporate. These same places actually understand the difference between fresh and fresh frozen.

In a world of Walmarts, Dunkin Donuts and Olive Gardens, they are becoming harder and harder to find. Once you do, an amazing discovery happens. You find that food has taste and flavor, plus there are other spices besides salt. If you've spent your whole life eating at McDonalds and Red Lobster, this probably sounds like crazy talk to you. Perhaps you've even convinced yourself the reason you like these places is because you always know that no matter where you go, it's always the same. Sure the meat and chicken don't really taste like meat and chicken, but you're used to it and it's what you expect.

Without even realizing it, they've made you lower your standards on what is acceptable. If they can do that with something as basic as food, it's a short step to getting you to accept less in everything else. They've convinced you that a box full of shit isn't a box full of shit if the box is shiny, with a cool logo and the word 'new' on it. It's the essence of advertising; convincing you to buy something you don't want or need and then making you believe it's better than it is.

If you don't think they can do this to you, stop for just a moment and look around you. There's probably an item in the very room with you that at one time you were desperate to have, but now as you look at it you can't seem to remember why. There are examples everywhere, the exercise equipment that has become a coat rack or those chunky, ugly shoes with the really thick soles. It's even more embarrassing now when you're out and see someone else wearing the stuff you just realized is crap. Your friends point and laugh and while you go along, inside you're cringing at the thought of what's in your closet.

It all starts with food. Each day those little, unique places go by the way side as corporate chains move in. Soon regular ordinary people only have the illusion of choice. The world becomes an endless string of meals at Applebees and T.G.I. Fridays. You try and tell yourself that it's at least better than McDonalds or Burger King, but there's always a small voice inside you whispering that's not good enough.

It took some searching and driving around, but Clark finally found a restaurant. It wasn't all lit up like the others and the sign wasn't massive, but it was a nice place. Diana and Clark hadn't gotten around to buying plates and silverware just yet, so instead of ordering in again, he decided to take her out.

They were dressed casually as the older hostess showed them to their table. The menus were plain white without pictures of the food, but there was a nice selection to choose from. Clark ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir as they decided what to have.

"Everything looks good,' he offered.

"Yes, I noticed that everything is seasonal," Diana remarked. "Fresh locally grown ingredients. That kind of reminds me of home.'

"How so?"

'Well, we are an island nation, Kal," Diana explained. "We raised and grow all our own food. What we eat is determined by what is in season. Different vegetables and fruits are harvested at different times of the year, so our diet is always changing."

"It seems we have something in common, Diana,' Clark replied. "That's sort of how it worked when I was growing up. My two favorite times of the year were strawberry season and corn season. We used to go out and pick the strawberries, although, I have to admit I think I ate as many as a picked."

Diana laughed at this.

"Blueberries,' she said.

"What?"

"I was like that with blueberries,' she admitted. "When I was young my mother would have a fit when I came home from the fields, my face and hands covered in juice."

"If she was anything like my mother, she wasn't amused,' he said, chuckling at the thought.

"No, she wasn't."

The waitress brought the wine and poured them both a small sample. They both took a sip and nodded. She smiled and filled their glasses.

"So are you two ready to order?"

"Diana?"

"I think I'll try the Yellowfin Tuna with Grilled Pineapple Salsa, please."

"Oh, that's a good choice," the waitress said. "The owner's father just went to Gotham this morning to pick up the order at the fish market. And for you sir?"

"How about the New York Strip with Stilton-Walnut Butter for me."

They went through the list of sides and each chose what they liked. The waitress said she would be right back with some fresh rolls and their salads. Clark and Diana sat back, sipping their wine. The image of her as a child with blueberries all over her face stuck in Clark's mind and he found himself smiling.

"What,' Diana asked.

"Blueberries, huh?'

"Yes."

"You know it's hard to image you as a rambunctious young princess getting into trouble."

"My mother and sisters would disagree,' Diana replied. This brought a chuckle from Clark. "How about you Kal? What would Mrs. Kent have to say about you growing up?"

"Me? I was an angel," he joked.

"Somehow I doubt that," Diana offered.

"Well, there were a few times, but they were never my idea,' he admitted.

"Whose were they?"

"Friends," he said. "I had one friend in high school that seemed to have a knack for getting the two of us mixed up in all sorts of things. How she didn't get herself killed, I'll never know."

"She?"

"Yes, it seems I had a weak spot for helping out female friends, especially the pretty ones," Clark mused. Clark smiled as he thought about Chloe and Lana. It was still hard to believe some of the things they got involved in back then. Then there was Lois at the Planet. She was always ready to rush in where Angels feared to tread.

Diana heard him say especially the pretty ones and blushed a little. She thought he was including her in the group. She had sort of gotten him mixed up in this bet. It surprised her how she reacted to him saying she was pretty. He'd never really said anything like that before.

Clark happened to glance over at her and noticed this. It suddenly hit him she thought he was talking about the two of them. Clark wasn't sure what to do at the moment and thankfully the waitress saved him by bringing the salads and fresh rolls. It was a baby Spinach-Jicama salad and had a very unique taste. As he began to dig in, he glanced over again to make sure she wasn't thinking he was eating like a dying man, but was happy to see she wasn't shy about eating either.

As they made their way through the salads and rolls, Clark shifted the conversation. He realized that while he knew the basic outline of Diana's life, he really didn't know many details. It seemed any talk about the Amazons usually ended up in a discussion of the horrors they had endured. He knew about that, but found himself interested in the person rather than the tribe.

Diana was hesitant at first, not really liking talking about herself, but he genuinely seemed interested. Once she started, she found herself telling him stories she hadn't thought of in years. They were fond memories of endless days swimming, riding horses and exploring with her friends. Some were silly, but he didn't make her regret telling them.

When dinner arrived, they both were impressed. The food looked delicious and they told the waitress to offer their compliments the chef. As they began to eat, they found a sort of easiness with each other. Conversation was sporadic as the food took up most of their attention. They told stories of growing up. Slowly they both realized as different as their upbringings were, there were similarities.

Clark was surprised to hear just how regular Diana's life had been. Yes, there was the military training, but there was also time for her to just be a child. While some of her playmates were magical creatures, her stories told of a young girl that was loved and cared for. Listening he began to have a different picture of her and the other Amazons. The past was always with them, but life continued.

Diana was learning more about him as well. He let her do most of the talking, but the stories he did share gave her a glimpse of what he must have been like growing up. She knew there was a deep attachment to his parents, but as he talked she understood for the first time how special that relationship was to him. They seemed to be the only people that really understood all of him. Even though he told the stories in a humorous way, she could detect a hint of sadness from Clark. It must have been so difficult for him growing up she realized. Constantly having to hide who he was and what he could do must have been so hard.

Her gifts were from her Gods, so her mother and sisters celebrated them. She never had to worry about how others would react. It explained a lot about her friend. She had always wondered why someone with his powers seemed so cautious and deliberate to the point he almost seemed reactive rather than proactive. A lifetime of having to fit in would do that, she realized. Even now, as she looked across the table at Clark, she could see the almost unconscious slump in his posture and the other little things that helped him hide in plain sight.

In a strange way it was as if she were seeing him for the first time. Perhaps she had been taken in like everyone else she realized. Superman was such an overwhelming figure, yet that was just a costume he put on now and then.

"Kal?"

"Hmm?"

"It was difficult for you growing up, wasn't it,' she asked. He set his knife and fork down and looked at her.

"How do you mean?"

"Pretending you were someone you weren't,' she said. "Never showing what you really could do."

"I guess, sometimes,' he admitted. "When I look back on it now, for the most part I'm glad things happened as they did. I got to live a normal childhood, Diana. If people had known what I could do I would have become a curiosity, a thing to be stared at and feared. There were times it was hard and I didn't understand why, but the Kents actually gave me a rare gift. They gave me the time to grow into these powers and understand who I was. They let me be normal."

"Still, it must have been difficult at times,' she said. The thought of standing watching the pretty girls rush by him in high school as if he wasn't even there came to Clark's mind.

"Yes," he softly said. "But no one gets everything they want."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry,' she began, but he raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't be sorry, Diana,' he said. "Everyone has regrets, but as you get older you realize things happen for a reason or at least it seems that way. Disappointments shapes who you are just as much as triumphs do. Jonathan Kent used to tell me that as hard as it might seem at the time, it was how you overcame those disappointments that define your character."

"He sounds like a smart man,' she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Clark admitted. "Although when I was younger I might not have agreed with you. It seems the older I get the smarter he seems."

"There was a time I thought my mother was hopelessly out of touch," Diana said with a chuckle. "I thought I knew everything and she just didn't understand. I find with each passing year, I'm having to rethink that position."

"Did our marriage help that process along any,' he teased.

"Kal, you know I didn't think she was serious,' Diana fired back.

"I was just kidding, Diana."

"I know, Kal,' she replied with a smile.

"Should I be worried that my new wife has already figured me out?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"

There was a mischievous smile on Diana's face as she said this and he couldn't help teasing her just a little more.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that, Princess."

"Kal, I warned you!"

"Yes, but you wouldn't hit your husband in public would you,' he asked in mock surprise. "What would people think?"

"Maybe not in public, but I have a very good memory,' she countered. "Just wait until we get home, Mr. Kent."

"Yes, Mrs. Kent."

They both smiled at each other, sharing this private joke. Before they could continue, the owner came over to their table to see how they were enjoying the meal. He was a jovial, heavyset man in his mid-forties. They could tell he was proud of his place and practically beamed as they offered their compliments on the meal. Clark also noticed how captivated he was by Diana and realized that was something he was going to have to get used to if he was going to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world.

They chatted with the man for several minutes. He seemed especially pleased when Diana commented on how much she had enjoyed the Jicama in the salad. He told them it was something he'd picked up living in the southwest and was surprised she recognized it. He asked them about themselves and they gave him the basic cover story about just moving to the area. He suggested if they liked music there was a small club a friend of his had just outside of town that he was sure they would enjoy. They thanked him and said they might check it out.

The owner said he hoped they would stop again and they promised they would. He moved off to talk with some of the other customers. He greeted them as old friends and both Diana and Clark smiled as they looked around the restaurant.

"This is nice," she said. "You can tell this means a lot of him and his family."

"Yes," Clark agreed. "You could see his pride in his work just by how he talked about it.'

"So what now,' Diana asked. "Should we try the place he mentioned? Listening to some live music does sound nice."

"All right, let me get the check,' Clark replied.

* * *

Cello's – Later

Clark and Diana sat at a table near the back talking. Cello's was nothing fancy, just a small out of the way bar and club. Candles flickered on each table and provided most of the light in the place. There was a good size crowd scattered around the dance floor. The band was on break, so conversation filled the air. Clark sat and watched with interested, as Diana seemed to be taking everything in. Her eyes darted from the filled bar to table to table.

"You seem fascinated,' he offered.

"I am, I've never been to a place like this," she replied.

"It's just a little hole in the wall bar, Diana."

"Yes, but it seems so relaxed and everyone is so friendly."

"Especially towards you I've noticed,' he commented. "We've only been here ten minutes and I think half the men in here have asked you to dance."

"What are you jealous, Clark,' she teased.

"No,' he said with a smile and a shake of his head. "But as you pointed out I am your husband for the time being so it seems rather inappropriate for them to be asking you right in front of me."

"Well, maybe they noticed 'my husband' hasn't asked me to dance,' she said with a challenging tone and smile. Clark took a sip off his beer and then glanced towards the bandstand. The three-piece group was just coming back on stage. He turned back to Diana.

"So Mrs. Kent, are you implying you'd like to dance?'

"Yes, Mr. Kent."

"Interesting." He tried to hold back the smile as he took another sip of his beer and looked around the bar.

"Kal!"

"Well, if you insist, I guess we could give it a try,' he said. The band was just starting and he held out his hand to her. She gave him a look, but took his hand. They stood up and joined the other couples on the dance floor. The first song was 'The Way You Look Tonight' and Clark gently took Diana in his arms. The singer had a smooth baritone voice and the trio was very good.

"So if I hadn't asked, would you have danced with someone else?"

"I might have,' she replied, as they swayed to the music.

"Really?'

"Yes."

"Well, you could have asked me, I might point out,' he said.

"I could have," she admitted.

"Well, just for the record, I'm glad you didn't dance with anyone but me."

Diana smiled at this and moved a little closer to him. As the song progressed, they gave themselves over to the music. Having Diana in his arms felt good to Clark. Holding her hand he could feel her pulse against his. With most women he was always worried about holding them too tight, but he didn't have to worry with her.

For Diana's part, she found the experience much more sensual they she expected. She had danced briefly with Bruce and several other men at diplomatic functions, but this felt different. Clark wasn't holding her particularly close, but being in his arms was having a decided effect on Diana. She moved a little closer to him so they were barely touching. Warmth seemed to spread out from where his hand gently held her lower back. The heat seemed to rise to her face, as it was such an unfamiliar sensation being so intimately close to him.

As the song continued, she found herself moving just a little closer to him, their faces only inches apart. Their bodies were touching as they moved on the dance floor. Diana found she enjoyed the feel of Clark's strong gentle arms around her. The rest of the world slipped away and it was just the two of them on the dance floor.

Clark found himself intensely aware of her as they danced. He had always noticed how breathtakingly beautiful Diana was, but being this close to her just seemed to magnify it. As he held her in his arms she seemed remarkably feminine to him. As the song ended he found his eyes drawn to her full inviting lips.

Diana was feeling the same emotions. Her eyes glanced up into his.

"Kal?"

He didn't even think about what he was doing, as slowly he moved towards her and kissed her. She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then returned it with equal passion. He had kissed a few women in his life, but this was something different.

The song ended and the other couples started to clap. Clark suddenly realized what he was doing and pulled away. Diana seemed surprised by this and just looked at him. He didn't know what to say to her. He'd been caught up in the moment and forgot. She was interested in another and he'd overstepped the bounds of friendship. He'd just made things more complicated.

"Perhaps we should call it a night, Diana,' he finally said. He stepped away from her, breaking contact. She was just as confused as he was, but the look on his face told her he thought what had happened was a mistake.

"Perhaps we should,' she replied.


	12. Chapter 12

Barn Storming

Gotham Heights

They rode home in silence.

Both were confused.

They kissed.

One wanted to ask questions.

One didn't have any answers to give.

Meanings, both were struggling to find meanings in what happened.

He hadn't looked at her since the club.

She took this to indicate he regretted what had happened.

He was confused about the emotions behind it.

He was spoken for. Lois.

She was interested in another. Bruce.

They arrived back at the house, he turned off the car and they headed inside.

They were in the same room, yet she felt the distance between them.

They were in the same room, yet he was much too aware of her.

She asked if he was coming to bed.

He said he wasn't tired and would be up later.

So many words were just on the tip of her lips, but she just nodded and headed upstairs.

He went out on the patio and sat wondering what he was going to do.

She changed into her nightgown and slipped under the covers.

The bed suddenly felt much bigger without him.

She turned off the light and tried to sleep, but one thought repeated in her mind. He kissed me.

It was an intoxicating kiss. Her lips still tingled at its memory.

For a brief moment she felt the passion he usually kept hidden.

It had spoke to something deep inside of her, desires she still didn't fully understand.

She found she didn't regret a moment of it, but thought that he did.

Had she ruined everything, she wondered? Could one kiss do that?

Was he feeling guilty about Lois? Or Bruce?

She hadn't thought about Bruce all day.

This had started because of Bruce.

Should she be feeling guilty about Bruce? Or Lois?

Had one kiss changed her feelings? Could it do that?

Even if it had there was Lois.

He was spoken for.

How long she lay there going over and over it in her mind she wasn't sure.

She heard him moments before the door opened.

He seemed to stop just on the other side as if deciding whether to come in or not.

She found herself holding her breath, suddenly desperately wanting him to come in.

The door finally opened and she could see his silhouette in the hall light.

He seemed to stand there for a moment just looking at her.

She couldn't see his face to read his expression.

He silently came in and closed the door behind him.

A sense of relief filled her.

He moved to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers.

There was a moment when she thought he would speak, but then he rolled onto his side, his back towards her.

She glanced over, her lips parted to speak, but words didn't come.

She reluctantly closed her eyes, thinking perhaps tomorrow they would talk.

* * *

The Watchtower

Zatanna sat with her head in her hands as Shayera, Mari and Wally discussed her love life. She was so confused. Her 'friends' were only adding to it. When the thought had first entered her mind, it had seemed so simple. Clark's a nice, handsome single guy; maybe they could have dinner or something. That was as far as she had thought it out.

She had made the mistake of offhandedly mentioning it one night to Shayera. She of course told Dinah, Mari and Wally. Things seemed to spiral out of control after that and now everyone knew about it. If it wasn't bad enough sitting here listening to these three discuss her love life as if she weren't there, somehow she'd gotten mixed up in whatever was going on between Bruce, Diana and Clark. She'd only wanted to go to dinner or a movie with a nice normal guy for once and now she was stuck in some sort of passion play.

She was so confused.

Mari and Wally were currently heatedly discussing whether Zee should go for it and sleep with Clark. Wally, of course, was all for it. Zee just groaned as she heard this.

"You're supposed to be my friends, why are you torturing me like this?"

"You know we haven't even discussed Lois Lane in this,' Shayera chimed in.

Zatanna slowly raised her head, her fingers running down her face. She glared at the three, as she slowly rose up out of her seat.

"Enough! I give! I'm not interested in going out with Clark anymore,' she shouted. Zee turned her attention to everyone in the cafeteria. "Did everyone hear that? You can all stop discussing my love live cause I'm through! I don't want to go out with Superman anymore, okay? It's too hard! I give up! Are you all happy? God, I think I'll just go out with the first normal guy I meet!"

A balloon suddenly popped up next to her. It was Plastic Man and he had a huge smile on his face.

"I said a normal guy."

His smile faded as he floated away. The entire cafeteria was quiet at that moment.

"Um, ah, Zee, honey?' Shayera finally spoke up. "The only people that knew about your crush were the three of us and Dinah."

Mortified, Zatanna looked at Shayera.

"W-W-What?"

"We didn't tell anyone else about your love life,' Shayera explained.

"Or lack there of,' Wally added. Zee gave him a look; but there were more important things at the moment.

"You-You mean,' Zee gasped.

"Yep, you just blurted it out to the entire League."

"Oh My God, I'm going to die of embarrassment,' Zee exclaimed as she collapsed back into her seat. Mr. Miracle and Big Barda were walking by and they glanced over at her.

"Her and Superman, huh,' Scott said.

"She seems a little small and thin through the hips for him if you ask me,' Barda replied.

"You say that about everyone, honey."

Another groan came from Zee's lips.

"Raeppasid," she whispered and vanished from the station.

* * *

The Watchtower – Personal Quarters

Dinah Lance's emotions seemed to run the gambit, but mostly there was anger. It wasn't the hot explosive kind that Plastic Man seemed to bring out in her, but a cold simmering anger. What she hadn't told anyone else was that her and Ollie hadn't slept together in over a month. Other than up here on the tower they hardly spent any time together anymore. Something had changed between them.

He was still the carefree charmer fighting for the little guy he'd always been, but Dinah wasn't the same wide-eyed young woman that fell for him. When they'd first met she had been so young, God, so young. He was significantly older than she was, but she was attracted to him just the same. Oh, at first she'd hated him, thinking he was an egotistical jerk, but slowly she'd come around. She'd been so new to all of this and he was sort of a lover/mentor to her.

She knew monogamy wasn't Ollie's strong suit. At first she'd tried to dismiss it and tell herself it meant nothing, but the longer they were together the harder that became. She'd caught him once again flirting with another woman. If that wasn't bad enough, it had been right here on the station. He didn't even seem to understand how that undermined her with everyone. She wasn't that same fresh young kid, she had grown into her role and become a leader.

Maybe that was when things started to change, she thought. While he had been supportive when she was elected to be chairwoman of the League, she felt a chill come over their relationship. At first she just thought it was the rigors of the new job, but as time went on she noticed it was his excuses that caused them to see less of each other. She'd tried talking to him about it, but he just played it off with a wink and a smile.

She'd realized their roles had changed. She didn't need a mentor anymore and he was increasingly not there as a lover. While still a young woman, younger than most of the original members, she had worked hard to gain their respect. Maybe more than any of the younger members she had pushed herself. There was still a part of her that loved sitting around with Zatanna, Wally and Shayera teasing and laughing at and with each other, but her role as chairwoman was something she took very seriously.

Was that the problem between her and Ollie? She could still remember the look on his face the first time she ordered him on a mission. It was shock, as if he couldn't believe she was ordering him, her mentor. He hadn't said anything, just nodded and got on the transporter platform with the rest of the team. When the mission was over, he hadn't returned with the others. Was it so hard for him to understand she didn't need a mentor anymore? She needed a lover, a man who was an equal. Maybe an equal wasn't what he needed.

It went round and round in her mind until she just grew tired of fighting it. Not every relationship is meant to be forever. Sometimes when people grow and change, they grow apart. A relationship can't remain static or it slowly dies. She couldn't be that innocent young woman that looked to him for all the answers anymore. She'd seen too much and worked to hard to still play that part. Maybe it was as simple as she couldn't give him what he needed anymore.

As hard as it was, she couldn't dismiss his wandering eye anymore. There were no more excuses to make. She deserved better. The frustrating part was there was really nothing to do. He wasn't going to change and she already had.

There was another matter she could do something about. As she pulled on her gloves, a grim, determined look came over Dinah's face. A while back she had been working for Oracle investigating a new biker gang moving into Gotham called the Lost Souls. Like all criminals they were drawn to Gotham because of its location and corruption. In the grand scheme of things, they were a minor player with dreams of getting bigger.

Dinah had reached out to a girlfriend of one of the leaders. In exchange for information, Dinah had promised to help her leave that life and start over. At first the woman had been too terrified of her boyfriend, but over time Dinah had been able to gain her trust. The information she finally gave helped get several of the senior gang members locked up. Working with Oracle, Dinah had found a battered women's shelter where the young woman was taken in. They would provide her with a new start and new name.

That had been six months ago. Oracle had just sent Dinah a text saying the shelter had been firebombed and the young woman was in the hospital. It didn't look good for her recovery. Dinah blamed herself for it. She had forgotten the first rule in Gotham; enough money can buy you anything. The ex-boyfriend had been responsible, but everyone was too frightened to testify against him.

If the legal system couldn't punish him, Dinah would. The way she was feeling right now, she hoped there was a struggle. She felt like kicking someone's ass tonight. She flipped open her communicator and contacted Oracle.

"Oracle, send me the latest satellite images of known gang members."

"All right, but if you're going in, at least wait until I get some back up."

"Barbara, I'm not waiting,' Dinah replied. "This is personal. Now send the images or I'll just find them myself.'

There was silence on the line for a moment.

"All right, I'm sending them."

"Thank you."

Slipping on her black leather jacket, Dinah set out from her quarters with a determined stride to her walk. She headed straight for the transporters. Plastic Man was in the hallway. He had transformed himself into a little red wagon.

"Buenos noches, la jefa! I'm ready for your next command!"

"Get out of my way."

He quickly rolled to the side as she stormed by him. The look on her face told him it wasn't a good time. Dinah made it to the transporter and walked up on the platform. Mr. Terrific was manning the controls.

"Gotham,' she said. "I've already sent the specific location to the computer."

Mr. Terrific nodded and started the sequence, transporting Dinah down.

* * *

Gotham – Moments Later

The black Ducati Monster roared out of the darkness and headed towards the waterfront. At breakneck speed it weaved in and out of traffic, the helmeted rider never slowing down for anything. Inside that helmet, Diana had put in her earbuds and was playing her IPod at full volume. The band Low's song Murderer was just starting as she raced towards the gang's last known location. The throbbing beat of the bass seemed to reverberate through her entire body like a shot of adrenaline. Her gloved hands flexed as she expertly maneuvered her way through traffic.

She reached the waterfront in record time. The warehouse where the gang members were had guards stationed at the front door. Flipping her visor up, she gunned it straight for them. As they heard the sound of her motorcycle, they raised their automatic weapons to fire. They were already too late, as she unleashed a scream that blew a huge hole in the wall and knocked the men to the ground.

She went airborne, the music overwhelming any other sound. Bullets whizzed by her, but she didn't stop. Executing a perfect slide, she managed to catch one of the bikers between her biker and a metal table. The crunch of his legs was followed by a scream, but she was already on the move. Vaulting off the bike, she somersaulted in the air, taking out another biker with a powerful kick to the face. She let her momentum drive him into the floor, shattering his shoulder.

Countless hours of training on the station and with the best teachers kicked in. Every movement was fluid, practiced a thousand times till she did it without even thinking. Bones snapped under her hands and feet, as she moved from one opponent to the next, never giving them a moment to regroup. She pulled her helmet off and used it as a weapon, bringing down a man from the catwalk. If they were surprised to be attacked by this beautiful woman, it didn't last long. All too soon they fell before her.

She reached the last one, a spinning kick knocking gun from his hands. She could see his lips moving and knew he was shouting curses at her, but the music drowned him out. She recognized him. He was a friend of the boyfriend. There was a satisfaction to the feel of her fist making contact with his face. She hit him again, his nose shattering, blood gushing everywhere. He feebly tried to hit her, but she easily blocked it and hit him again. He started to fall, but she held him up.

"Where is Ramón?"

She shouted this, even as she hit him again. His mouth didn't move and she drew back her fist once again, but someone caught it. Whipping her head around, Dinah was face to face with Batman. He reached over and pulled out her earbuds.

"I don't think he can answer you, Dinah."

She looked from Batman to the biker. His head lolled back and when she released him, he slumped to the floor.

"It doesn't matter,' she offered. "The message has been sent."

* * *

Gotham Heights

She woke at the sound of the car pulling out of the driveway.

He was leaving.

Casting off the covers she moved quickly to the window just in time to see the car's taillights disappear around the corner.

She stood at the window looking at the empty street.

Disappointment seemed to wash over her.

Had she already missed her chance to talk to him?

Picking up her robe, she slowly made her way downstairs.

A frown marred her beautiful features.

She was unhappy.

She smelled coffee and headed towards the kitchen.

On the counter a white cloth covered something and there was a note on top.

As she moved towards it, she was unexpectedly nervous.

Her fingers were trembling as she picked it up.

It was his handwriting.

There were only two short lines on the paper.

"Went to Metropolis. Be back later."

A sense of relief seemed to fill her.

She reached for the white cloth and picked it up.

A smile came to her face.

It was a bowl of fresh blueberries.


	13. Chapter 13

Conversations

"Everyone wants to talk, well, almost everyone"

Metropolis

Kara thought to herself, this is the life. No school, no farm chores, nothing until she did a patrol of the city later. She was sitting on the couch in her pajamas, eating Alpha-bits watching Jerry Springer. The only thing that would make this better was if the heavyset transvestite somehow got away from security and took a swing at his cheating midget lover. Krypton might by far more advanced than Earth, but it never had entertainment like this.

The sound of someone fiddling with the front door lock pulled her away from the action. What? Someone's trying to break in, she thought? Boy, did they pick the wrong apartment. She did a quick scan and gasped as she saw Clark. She turned off the TV and stood up as he opened the door.

"What the hell, Clark,' she said through the mouthful of cereal. "You can't just barge in here like this! What if I'd been naked or something?"

He stopped and looked at her, glancing at the box of cereal on the table and then back at her.

"Why would you be naked' he replied. "Besides, it's not barging in, this is still my apartment, remember?"

"What if I had someone spending the night? Did you ever think of that,' she asked.

"If you had someone spending the night than we'd have a bigger problem than just me barging in."

"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be in suburbia with your wife?"

"Kara, give it a rest, please,' he asked. "I just needed to, um, pick up a couple of things."

As he closed the door and came in, Kara eyed him. Something was up, she could just tell by his body language.

"What's really going on, Clark?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, what did you and Diana have a fight or something?"

"No, nothing like that,' he said with a shake of his head.

"What did you do,' she asked. "Something stupid?"

"Yeah,' he replied. He sat down on the couch, still rolling over and over in his mind what had happened.

"What did you do?"

"It's not important, it was just a mistake."

"What did you like fart or something? Pull a Dutch Oven on the Princess," Kara asked. He gave her a look of shock.

"What? No, of course not! Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Well, guys like that kind of stupid crap. They think it's hilarious,' she explained.

"Well, rest assured I didn't."

"So no crop dusting the room?"

"God no."

"Then what did you do?'

Clark looked over at his young cousin and then sighed. He might as well tell her, he needed to talk to someone about it.

"I kissed her."

"Yeah,' Kara replied, waiting for more. She was very interested in this.

"I shouldn't have."

"Did she slap your face?"

'No."

"Go all Amazon on you?"

As if to demonstrate, Kara threw a series of kicks and punches that came within an inch of Clark's face.

"No."

"So what did she do?"

"Well, she kind of kissed me back."

"That's great!" Kara exclaimed, a big smile lighting up her face.

"No, it's not."

"What am I missing?"

"Well, for one, I made a promise to the Queen," Clark replied.

"Oh that's right, she wouldn't like that too much,' Kara agreed. She dropped down on the couch next to Clark.

"There's also the fact that I'm in a relationship with Lois."

"Yeah, that's kind of a skivvy move on your part," Kara said. She picked up the box of Alpha-Bits and resumed eating them.

"Thanks.'

"Well, it is."

"I know, plus this whole bet was about Diana being interested in Bruce. What kind of friend would I be if I mess that up?"

"Maybe she's changed her mind,' Kara offered. "Maybe Diana wants you now."

"No, we both just got caught up in the moment, I think,' he said. "Besides, I actually believe Bruce is really interested in her. He wouldn't have made this stupid bet if he weren't. He's my friend too; I can't do that to him."

"So what are you going to do,' she asked.

"I don't know."

"Amnesia? You could say you hit your head on the way here and forgot everything that happen for the last week,' Kara suggested. "I'll say I found you lying in the gutter bleeding from the head and saved you."

"I don't think Diana would buy that."

"Evil twin?"

"Not that either."

"Couldn't you just pretend it didn't happen and not talk about it,' Kara asked.

"You've met Diana, right? Does she seem like the type of person that wouldn't want to discuss this?"

"No,' Kara admitted. "Diana's kind of direct. She won't want avoid this, she'll want to talk about it straight away."

"That's why I left this morning,' Clark said. "I didn't know what to tell her when she asks."

'Why did you kiss her?"

"I don't know we were having a really nice time. Dinner was great and then we were dancing. I was thinking about the song and then …"

"Then what?'

"I looked into her eyes and she said my name, Kal."

"So you kissed her because she said you name,' Kara asked. "You're kind of an easy mark, Clark."

'No."

"Then why did you kiss her, Clark?"

"I wanted to,' he admitted.

"You wanted to? That's it? That's you explanation,' Kara exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Wow, you're really screwed. You better come up with something better than that before you talk to Diana.'

"Yeah, I know."

He reached over into the cereal box and took out a handful. They sat there for a while, neither saying anything.

"So do you want to watch Springer,' Kara asked.

"Sure."

* * *

Gotham

The Gotham Hilton was a five star hotel. Part of Zatanna's deal was that she gets a suite starting the week before her run at the theatre and for the length of her stay. It was so she could relax and prepare herself for performing every night, or at least that's what she told the promoters. She really just liked staying in luxury hotels, especially if someone else was footing the bill. She'd played enough dives and stayed in too many fleabag hotels early in her career, so now that she was successful, she was going to enjoy the perks that came along with it.

After embarrassing herself on the station, it was the perfect place to disappear to. She had just finished a long, relaxing bubble bath and was feeling much better. Yes, fighting demonic threats and arch villains was part of her life, but being a successful magician certainly paid better. Wrapped in the monogrammed bathrobe the hotel provide, she was thinking of ordering some room service as she came back into the main suite.

"So are you hiding out here," a voice asked.

She gave a little squeal and turned, ready to defend herself. Sitting in the shadows was Bruce Wayne.

"Jeez, Bruce, you scared the shit out of me! Can't you knock like a normal person?"

"I didn't think you'd be answering after what happened on the station,' he smoothly replied.

"And you couldn't take the hint?"

"So you are hiding?"

"No,' she protested. "I'm just taking a little time away from the station. I'm performing next week remember? I wanted to focus on getting ready."

"Hiding."

"God, it was so embarrassing, I'll never live it down,' she admitted.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Plastic Man hit on me,' she groaned.

"Maybe he's not that crazy after all,' Bruce commented. She gave him a look and he smiled in return.

"So what are you doing here, Bruce?"

"Just checking on you, seeing if you're okay."

"You mean after my outburst?"

"Well, you wouldn't be the only female member to have one of those lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Dinah seems to be taking it on herself to be a one woman wrecking crew with one of the minor biker gangs in Gotham last night."

Zee thought about this for a moment.

"The women's shelter,' she commented. "They torched it. She's probably feeling responsible."

"Yeah, that's my guess,' He replied. "It's not good having her running around with that attitude."

"Why,' Zee said, teasing him. "Are you afraid you won't be the biggest bad ass in Gotham any more?"

"Cute."

"I thought so,' she said with a grin.

"I take it you're feeling better,' he asked.

"A little."

"So are you still going through with the interview with Clark?"

She gave him a suspicious look.

"Why?"

"Well, I did promise him you would and I owe him a favor,' Bruce offered. "You know, the whole marriage thing."

"You're up to something, aren't you,' she asked.

"I'm hurt that you would think that, Zee."

"Don't even try playing innocent with me, Bruce, I've known you too long."

"You know it wouldn't have been the worst thing if you'd asked Clark out," he said. "He would be a step up from some of your former relationships."

"And what is that suppose to mean?"

"Let's just say there haven't all been winners."

"I guess you're right, I went out with you once,' she fired back at him.

"Even after all these years, you're still kind of a snot sometimes, Zee," he replied.

"And you're still sort of a dick."

"Case in point."

"I know you're up to something, Bruce," she said. "If I find out you are using me in this stupid bet I'm going to be very unhappy, very unhappy."

"Well, I wouldn't want that, would I?"

He smiled at her and moved towards the door. As he opened it to leave, he turned to her.

"Good luck with the shows by the way."

"Thank you,' she replied. "You're still coming, right?"

"Yes,' he said with a sigh. "That is if nothing comes up."

"Well, maybe when I do the interview with Clark I can get him to bring Diana to the show. I'm sure you'll make it if she's there,' she said with her sweetest smile.

"Yeah, still a snot,' he muttered. "I'll see you around Zee."

"Could you knock next time, please,' she asked. "Just once, for me?"

"I'll think about it, for you,' he replied with a smile.

* * *

The Watchtower

Anywhere else the scene would have drawn a lot of attention, a man dressed all in red talking to a shopping cart, but up here they were used to it. Wally and Plastic Man had been exchanging jokes for the last twenty minutes.

"I sold your thermos for $250? Oh, ha-ha-ha, I love it,' Wally shouted, tears coming down his face. "His thermos! Ha!"

Plastic Man suddenly got serious.

"You know, Wally, I think she's coming around.'

"What? Who?"

"Dinah."

"Huh?"

"I know she puts up this big front that she can't stand me, but I think I'm starting to grow on her,' Plastic Man said.

"I-I, um, ah, don't-don't think that's true,' Wally replied.

"She gave me an assignment, didn't she?"

"To the sewers."

"She's testing me, seeing if I'm worthy of her."

"Really think you're way off base there, buddy,' Wally said.

"I got her something to show how much I care," Plastic Man explained. From the shopping car, which was him, a flower suddenly grew up and opened in front of Wally.

"A flower?"

"It's a special flower, Wally.'

Wally looked at it again, it seemed just like a really big ugly flower to him.

"I'm not seeing it."

He looked a little closer to the flower and suddenly it sprayed him with liquid, drenching him.

"Oh, ho, ring-a-ding-ding! An oldie but a goodie! I love the classics! A ring-a-ding-ding!"

"I can't believe I fell for that,' Wally admitted with a smile. "You really got me this time."

As he was wiping his face off, Wally happened to notice that as Plastic Man transformed himself into little rocket, the flower blended back into his body.

"Hey, wait a second, if that flower is part of you, then this isn't water! Did you just piss on me?"

"Toot-Toot! A ring-a-ding-ding-Ding!"

"That's disgusting!" Wally gazed down at his wet uniform with a look of horror.

"He-Ha! Ring-a-ding-ding-ding!' Plastic Man shouted a he blasted off and started circling the room. Wally got up and disappeared out of the cafeteria to change out of his ruined uniform.

* * *

The Watchtower – Monitoring station

Dinah was at her post, coordinating thing with Jonn and Mr. Terrific as Ollie came storming into the room.

"Have you lost your mind,' he shouted at her. "I heard what you did last night! No back up? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"

Dinah looked at him for a moment and then slowly rose from her seat.

"Jonn, would you take over for a moment?'

"Of course, Dinah."

"This way,' she said to Ollie and led him out of the room. She found the first open room and they walked inside. As soon as the doors closed, she whirled around to face him.

"Don't ever do that again!"

"Excuse me?"

"I have to work with those people, Ollie! You coming in and berating me like that undermines my credibility with them!"

"Your credibility, really?"

"Yes, I'm the leader of the Justice League if you didn't remember."

"How could I not? It's all you ever talk about anymore,' he replied.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

'Just forget it."

"No, you have something to say, say it Ollie,' she demanded.

"All right, I think you're letting this job go to your head. The vote was a popularity contest, Dinah and you won, that's all. When you are not up here, you're thinking about it and talking about it."

"I've seen so little of you recently, how could you possibly know what I think or talk about,' she asked, challenging him.

"Right, it's my fault,' Ollie sarcastically replied. "That's why you went all Army of One last night. I thought I taught you better than that, Di. Did you even think before you went in there?"

Dinah's temper was rising. She hated the way he was talking to her, as if she were some novice still wet behind the ears.

"It was personal, Ollie." Her voice was very control, as she didn't want to turn this into a shouting match. "Oracle had all the satellite Intel and I knew what I was facing."

"She also asked you to wait for back up."

"How do you know that?"

"I talked to her before I came here,' he informed Dinah.

"You talked to her? Why?'

"When you go off like that, people look to me for answers, Dinah,' he explained. "I told her how it was very personal for you, I think she believe me."

"You made excuses for me?"

"It's called smoothing the situation."

"Damn it, Ollie, I don't need you going behind me back like that! Barbara already knew why it was important to me! I'm not that teenage girl I was when we met! I know my job and don't need you undermining me."

"That sounds like the President of the Justice League talking again,' he replied.

"Take it however you want,' she said. "You can call it just a popularity contest, but I take it seriously. I don't need you playing big brother anymore.'

"Sounds like you don't need me at all anymore,' he fired back.

"No, I need you to support me, to be there for me like I'm always there for you,' Dinah answered. "I'm sorry if my not needing a mentor bruises your ego, Ollie, but things have changed. I want a relationship of equals. I think I desire that."

'You're right, things have changed.'

He looked at her one last time and walked out of the room.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana knelt before the small altar. Two candles were lit in front of her. One to Aphrodite, asking to understand what she was feeling and the other to Athena, so she would be wise enough to know what to do with that knowledge. She was just finishing her prayer when she heard the car turn into the driveway. Genuflecting, she put out the candles and raced down to the front door. She had put this off long enough and wanted talk about it.

Clark was still mulling over what he was going to say as he opened the door. Diana was standing right there waiting. Almost instinctively he took a step back in surprise.

"Is it okay if I come in,' he asked, still holding onto the door.

"Yes, I've been waiting for you to return,' Diana answered.

"Yeah, I got that impression.'

He stepped inside and closed the door. Giving her a nervous smile, he moved around her and went into the living room. She was right behind him.

"We need to talk, Kal."

Part of him wished he could have delayed it just a little longer, but he wasn't really counting on it. Moving over he sat down on one of the chairs.

"Okay, let's talk.'

Diana moved to the couch and sat down opposite him. She had been going over and over in her mind what she wanted to ask and how this would go, so she just plunged in.

"About what happened last night,' she began, but he cut her off.

"It was a mistake, Diana."

She had expected that, though not quite so quickly.

"The whole night or just the part where you kissed me?"

"Well, I'd like to point out, you did kiss me back."

"Kal.'

"Okay, no, not the whole night, Diana."

"So just the kiss,' she replied, nodding in understanding.

"I think we both just got caught up in the moment, Diana,' he offered. "This whole situation is strange enough. It just happened."

"So that's it?"

"Diana, this situation is because of a bet, remember? You wanted to prove to Bruce and your mother and yourself that you could do this. I think you especially wanted to prove it to Bruce,' Clark said to her.

"That may be true,' she offered. It had started out as that. Bruce was so frustrating and mercurial. She was still attracted to him, yet other feelings were there as well.

"There's also the fact that I'm seeing Lois,' Clark continued.

"I know, and I would never intentionally try and come between you two."

"Thank you.'

"How are things going with her by the way?"

"Not great,' he admitted. "That still doesn't justify what happened last night."

"So you're saying because of Bruce and Lois, we should just forget about kissing?'

"Yes."

"Can you do that, Kal?"

"I have to."

She looked at him, but his head was bowed, as if this were all taking a toll on him.

"I don't think it's as easy as you think, Kal,' she offered.

"Even if it's not, there's one other reason, Diana,' he replied. "I made a promise to your mother. I know she didn't like it, but she gave me her trust and I plan on honoring my word."

Diana could see how serious he was. It was one of the things she always liked about him, that when he gave his word he followed through. She couldn't ask him to break his word, no matter what she was feeling at the moment.

"So does this mean you want to end this? Is that what you came back to say,' she asked.

"No, I also gave my word to you, that I would help you win this bet,' he said. "I'll do my part, I just ask that we forget about last night and try and get through this."

"Just like that?"

"I'm open to any suggestions, Diana."

She could see there was only two ways from here, either she accept his offer and forget about the kiss or they could end the bet, in which case she doubted she would see him any time soon. The second option had little appeal for her. The answers she was still looking for involved him being here. Reluctantly, she would choose option one.

"All right, Kal, we will put it behind us and move on,' she said.

"Thank you, Diana,' he said. He finally gave her a smile and got up to go out towards the patio. Just as he was about to step outside, Diana called to him.

"Kal?'

"Yes?"

"I know we agreed to put it behind us, but I want to know one thing first."

"What is that, Diana?'

"Did you like the kiss?'

"Yes."


	14. Chapter 14

Balance

"Baby you can drive my car"

Gotham Heights

One day slipped into the next and then the next. The first week was coming to a close and so far they'd managed not to use their powers. To say that was foremost in the minds would be a falsehood. While they'd met more of their new neighbors, the elephant in the room was the kiss.

Per their agreement, neither talked about it.

That's not to say they didn't think about it, because they did, quite a lot.

They stuck to mundane topics mostly. They both talked about the weather more than they probably had in their lives. The fact that they were sleeping in the same bed every night wasn't helping either.

As hard as Clark tried not to think about her, being so close to Diana was causing him to have some rather vivid dreams. Orchids and fire, he would wake up with those scents on his mind. He slept very little.

As was becoming his routine, when he did wake up it was out to the pool for laps. This was to cool down and try and get his mind off things he shouldn't be thinking about. At the rate he was going, by the end of the month he'd probably be able to give Arthur a run for his money.

As he reached the end of the pool closest to the house, Clark reached out for the edge and his hand landed on something soft. He stopped and as he wiped the hair out of his eyes, his fingers moved a bit trying to figure out what he was holding. It was a rather shapely ankle. Slowly his eyes moved up to see it was attached to a muscular, yet feminine calf and knee. The lower part of a perfect thigh followed. Shifting back in the water, he saw Diana was standing on the edge of the pool in just her nightgown. It was rather sheer and in the early morning light it certainly hinted at what lie underneath.

"Oh, Jeez," Clark groaned.

"Good morning, Kal."

"Good morning Diana. You're up early."

"I wanted to talk to you about something,' she said to him.

"Okay."

"We've been here almost a week and it occurs to me you've done all the driving,' she explained. "There are two cars. If you're not here and an emergency comes up I will have to drive myself. I want you to teach me. I've flown a plane and the Javelin, so it can't be that hard."

Still not looking up at her, considering the angle, Clark stayed close to the edge.

"I suppose that's true,' he replied. "How about you get whatever work you have to do with the Embassy out of the way and then we can try?"

"I was going to have some breakfast, would you care to join me,' she asked.

He glanced up, but instantly averted his eyes again.

"I-I think I'll swim a few more laps, Diana."

"As you wish,' she said. "Oh, Kal?"

"Yes?'

"You can let go of my ankle now."

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry,' he quickly replied. He released his hold on her and blushed a little. Diana looked at him for a second, then turned and walked into the house. There was a little smile on her face and a little extra sway to her hips as she saw him in the reflection on the patio door looking.

As the door closed behind her, Clark watched her walking towards the kitchen. This angle was bad either, he thought.

"This is going to be the longest month of my life,' he lamented. He turned and headed back towards the other end of the pool.

* * *

Gotham

Dinah slowly walked out of St. Anthony's hospital. She set the bouquet of flowers someone left for her on the Watchtower on top of the marble railing. The person she intended them for still wasn't receiving visitors. She stopped and glanced out at the skyline, a sadness welling up inside of her. The young woman was going to survive, but just barely, losing an eye in the process. The burns had been extensive covering seventy percent of her body. Long painful months of recovery lay ahead of her. She would never been the same.

"Well, look what we have here, boys," a voice said. "A little female hero, only this time she doesn't have the element of surprise on her side."

Dinah looked up to see three Lost Soul bikers sitting waiting for her.

"Feel like partying, little girl?"

"Yeah, let's dance,' she hissed. "How about I start it off with a tune?"

Unleashing a blast of her power, Dinah sent them and their bikers crashing backwards. As they scrambled to get up, she was already on the move. The first biker never got his gun pulled out of the waistband of his pants before her foot made contact. His finger reflexively pulled the trigger and he shot himself in the leg. A kick to the face stopped his screaming.

"You Bitch!" The next biker shouted as he threw a punch at her. Dinah blocked it and then jabbed her index finger into his throat. He grabbed at his throat, gagging and gasping for air. Dinah hit him with a straight right sending him to the ground. Somehow he managed to pull a gun, but her foot slammed his hand into the ground. Gritting her teeth, Dinah reached towards his face and plunged her thumb into his eye. A sickening scream came from him, as she flicked her finger and his eye popped from his head.

"And eye for an eye."

She turned towards the last biker, but he was running towards the hospital. Visitors were just coming out and before Dinah could reach him, he grabbed one and held his gun to the woman's head.

"Back off or this bitch gets it!"

The hostage was screaming in terror as he slowly dragged her back up the stairs. His focus was so intent on Dinah that he didn't see the bouquet of flowers start to transform. Black Canary had a look of confusion on her face as the flowers slithered off the railing and moved up behind him. A tendril moved to his arm and silently wrapped itself around it. Before the biker realized what was happening, the gun was pulled away from the hostage and he was in the grip of Plastic Man.

"Have you heard the one about the crazy guy that can bend himself into all sorts of different shapes?" Plastic Man had a huge clown shoe on and gave the man the boot. "It's an ass kicker! A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

The biker tumbled down the steps and when he finally stopped Dinah was standing over him. She dropped the other biker's eye in his lap.

"Run,' she whispered. "Tell Ramon and the other, Hell's coming for them."

Terror was written all over the man's face as she scrambled to get away from her. He limped over to his bike and tore out of the parking lot. Dinah watched him go and then turned to Plastic Man.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You brought me,' he replied. "I try to do something nice and give you some flowers and you turn around and try to give them away."

"Well, um, ah, thank you,' she reluctantly said.

"Anytime boss. So want to kiss or something?'

"Don't push it."

* * *

Across the street

High above the scene a lone man gazed down the shaft of an arrow, ready to launch it with unerring accuracy. As he waited and watch things unfold, he slowly released the tension on his bow. Ollie watched with admiration as Dinah dispatched the bikers. He was just putting away his arrow and shaking his head at Plastic Man's showing up when a voice spoke from the shadows.

"You're not going to help her?'

"She doesn't need my help anymore, Bruce."

Batman stepped out of the shadows and moved silently up next to Green Arrow.

"What are you doing Ollie?"

"You mean being in your city without telling you,' Ollie said with a smile.

"No, I meant with her."

Ollie glanced down at Dinah as she moved over to greet the police who had finally arrived. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Letting her go."

"Is that really what you want,' Bruce asked.

"What I want doesn't really matter now, it's time,' he replied.

"It's time?'

"She doesn't need me watching over her anymore, Bruce."

"Maybe not, but are you sure?"

"Were you sure when Dick finally left,' Ollie asked.

"No, but that's different,' Bruce replied. "You and Dinah have a relationship Ollie."

"Look at her, Bruce, she's just coming into her prime," Ollie said. "I'm past mine."

"Feeling sorry for yourself,' Bruce asked.

"No, just realistic. I'm closer to forty than twenty, Bruce. How much longer can I do this, really? Dinah's twenty-five, she's got her future ahead of her."

"So?"

"She doesn't need me the same way she used to and I'm not sure I can be the man she needs now," Ollie admitted. "Everything changes, Bruce, but I'm sure you already know that."

"Excuse me,' Bruce said.

"Diana," Ollie replied. He turned and looked at Bruce. "That's one of the reasons you're so hesitant, are you? She'll always be the same as she is today, but you won't. Aging will all be one sided between you and her, your side. Sure, you're younger than me, but not that much younger. You're starting to feel all the battles and injuries starting to creep up on you. The idea of one day you won't be able to do this anymore is only made worse by the thought of being with her when it happens, isn't it?"

There was a long silence between the two.

"We weren't talking about me."

Batman stepped back into the shadows than disappeared. Ollie turned and looked back down at Dinah, his eyes full of sadness.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana sat behind the wheel of the car going over all the controls and instruments. Rationally she knew this was much simpler than flying a jet, but she found she was excited and nervous at the same time. It wasn't a matter of her powers being necessary to drive it was actually the opposite. She was like any other first time driver.

Secretly she'd been going over the rules and regulations of the road on her computer. She'd memorized all of them and keenly watched everything Clark did when they were riding together. Flashing him a confident smile, she turned on the engine. Diana liked the sound of it roaring as she slowly pumped the gas pedal.

"Well, we might as well get started,' she brightly said and then reached for the automatic shift. Clark's hand was on top of hers in the next moment. She looked over at him in confusion.

"You might want to open the garage door first,' he suggested.

"Oh, right,' she replied, trying not to let him see her embarrassment. Diana reached up and pressed the button to open the garage. She watched in the rearview mirror as it rose and then the bright sunlight came streaming in.

Clark was watching too. He knew she would pick this up fast, like everything else, but he also remember his and Kara's first time driving. They had both made a few mistakes. As he looked out the garage, he could see kids playing all up and down the street and inwardly groaned.

"Could you hold on just a second, Diana? Let me just make a call."

"All right, but you're not going to talk me out of this,' she said.

"Wouldn't dream of it, just give me a second, okay?"

"Very well."

Clark slipped out of the car and walked around behind it, effectively blocking her from backing up. He quickly dialed the number and then spoke to the person on the other end of the line. It was a brief conversation and he hung up with a smile. He walked to the driver's side and opened the door.

"What,' Diana asked. "I thought you were going to teach me to drive?"

"I am, but since we're trying to keep a low profile, maybe doing it with all the people in the street isn't the best idea,' he replied.

"Then where,' she asked.

"I know the perfect place, slide over, please."

Reluctantly, Diana slid over a little and Clark got in. She was still sitting a little closer than normal and they were touching.

"Could you move over just a little more, please,' he asked. Giving him a look, Diana nodded and moved over some more. "Still a little close."

"Should I sit all the way over by the other door, Kal,' she sarcastically said.

"Yes."

* * *

Smallville

Martha Kent was standing on the front porch as Clark and Diana landed. They weren't in costume, which surprised her. When he called asking about the old trunk, she figured something was up. She hadn't expected Wonder Woman, though.

"Hey, Ma, I'd like you to meet Diana,' Clark said. "Diana this is my mother, Martha Kent."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kent," Diana said, offering her hand.

"The pleasures mine," replied Martha. "We don't get much royalty out this way, Princess."

"Please, call me Diana."

"All right, but only if you call me Martha, Diana."

Martha Kent had a keen eye for detail and while she was shaking hands with Diana, she noticed a platinum ring on her finger. Glancing over at Clark, she saw he had one on too.

"So you have something to tell me, Clark?"

"I just wanted to teach Diana how to drive and I figured out here would be the safest place,' he explained.

"That's all well and good, but what is with the rings you two are wearing,' Martha asked.

"Oh, well, that's kind of a long story, really,' Clark fumbled to say.

"We're married,' Diana spoke up.

"What?"

"Married." Diana repeated, thinking the older woman hadn't heard her. Martha looked at Clark, the shock plain on her face.

"Not married-married, Ma,' Clark offered. "Sort of pretend Amazon married, really."

"No, it was official, Kal,' Diana interrupted. "Until my mother dissolves it, we are married under Amazon law."

"Wait, I don't remember the Queen saying that,' Clark replied, turning to look at Diana. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that!"

"Well you were rather confused, perhaps you missed that part,' Diana explained.

"No, I don't think that would have slipped by, Diana!"

"Is someone going to explain what the hell is going on,' Martha finally asked.

"Did you just swear, Ma,' Clark asked, a little shocked at this.

"Yes, Clark Jerome Kent, start explaining right now!"

"Oh, she used all three of your names, I've heard that isn't a good sign," Diana commented. Clark looked at Diana, then at his mother and shook his head.

"It's really rather simple, Martha,' Diana spoke up again. "Kal is helping me win a bet against Batman."

"By marrying you?"

"No, that was my mother's idea, Martha,' Diana replied.

"Yes, someone was so sure she was bluffing,' Clark added.

"I've admitted my mistake, Kal, when are you going to let it go?"

Martha had been watching and listening to the two of them and now she was really confused. She moved over and sat down on one of the porch chairs.

"Here I always thought it was Kara I'd have to worry about,' she muttered. Shaking her head, she looked up at Clark again. "So why exactly did the Queen want you to get married?"

"Because we're living together,' Diana explained.

"What?" Martha gasped in shock.

"I know you like being direct, Diana, but do you think you could ease into some of these explanations, please,' Clark asked.

"You're living together?"

"It's part of the bet, Ma,' Clark quickly offered. "It's a gated community and you have to be a couple to live there. We're just pretending to be a couple so Diana can win the bet."

"So because you're living together, Diana's mother, the Queen insisted you get married? Do I have that right,' Martha asked.

"Yes, sort of," Clark replied. "She wasn't thrilled about the idea to put it mildly."

"I really thought she was bluffing, Martha,' Diana added. "My mother is a very clever woman and I thought it was her way of getting me to not go through with the bet."

"But she wasn't bluffing, was she,' Martha asked.

"No."

"So you're married?"

"Just for a month, Ma,' Clark explained. "The Queen also made it very clear it was more of a distant courtship, very distant."

"So keep your hands off her daughter in other words,' Martha replied.

"Now you got it."

"Although, you did kiss me, Kal,' Diana pointed out.

"I thought we agreed we weren't going to talk about that,' He said in exasperation.

"You kissed her,' Martha asked.

"It was a mistake,' Clark quickly said.

"You said you liked it,' Diana noted.

"Did we really need to share that with my mother?"

Diana turned to Martha.

"Does it bother you that I mentioned Kal kissed me and liked it, Martha?"

"Oh God,' Clark groaned, covering his face with his hand. "You're killing me here, Diana."

Martha had to smile as she watched Clark's reaction. It was still a little confusing, but she took pity on her boy.

"No, Diana, it doesn't bother me, but I think Clark's going to die of embarrassment if you continue. Why don't you two go do your driving lesson and give me a chance to process all of this information?"

Clark looked up at Martha and mouthed the words, thank you. She just nodded and smiled.

"When you're done, come back to the house, I'll have something to eat,' Martha said. "We can talk more about this marriage then."

"I look forward to it, Martha, ' Diana said with a smile. "Are you ready, Kal?"

"Yeah, why not,' he replied. "The truck is in the barn."

Martha watched as they headed over towards the barn. Clark was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to his mother when they got back. He felt Diana walking closer to him before he actually looked.

"Um, four feet, Diana, please?"

"Why do you need so much personal space again, Kal,' she asked, not moving away.


	15. Chapter 15

Both Hands of the Wheel

"Red White Black"

Smallville

One of the mysteries of things is how they can trigger memories. Most would see just an old truck that needed a little tinkering before it would start, but to Clark it was much more. It symbolized moments in his life, learning to drive, his first date, teaching Kara to drive and praying she didn't actually kill the both of them. Most of all it brought back memories of Jonathan Kent. It seemed when he was growing up; they were always rebuilding something on this truck.

At first Clark wondered why Jonathan didn't just buy a new truck, but as he got older he began to look forward to the time they spent together working on the engine. In many ways it was over this engine Jonathan Kent taught Clark what it meant to be a man. He was sly about it, seeming to be talking about the machine, but giving Clark life lessons about things like caring and responsibility.

There were bittersweet moments attached to it as well, but most were of happy times and laughter. It wasn't just an old truck to Clark, but a depository of memories. It would take just a little while, but he would be adding more to it today.

Diana had offered to help, but Clark had said it wouldn't take that long. She stood and watched him for a little while, but apparently she stood too close doing that too. After the second time he asked if she could give him a little room, she'd decided to do a little exploring instead of trying to figure out his peculiar need for so much personal space.

At first she greeted the animals but eventually she made her way up to the loft of the barn. She was a little surprised to find it had been converted, from the looks of it, into a den for a young boy. There was a desk with a globe on it and she smiled as she saw names of places were written in by hand. She moved slowly around the room, looking over the little knick-knacks.

She tried to picture in her mind a much younger Clark inhabiting this place. A mischievous smile came to her lips as she glanced down to make sure he couldn't see her. As quietly as possible, she slid open the top drawer on the desk. There was a picture of Clark in a tuxedo standing next to a very pretty young girl. They were both smiling for the camera, although to Diana's eye he looked nervous.

Closing it, she moved over the bookshelf, running her finger along the spines as she read the titles. Quite a few looked like textbooks, astronomy and other science books seem to dominate the shelves. There was a telescope pointing out the window and Diana bent and glanced through it. It seemed strange to her that it was not pointed at the stars, but the next house over. Shaking her head, she moved on, trying the old chair and finding it still comfortable. There's a lamp next to it and another stack of books.

Idly she looked through the stack, noting familiar titles, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Catcher in the Rye among them. At the very bottom was a book she hadn't heard of called The Lines Shift by Philo Ganz. She picked it up and looked at the rather drab cover, just a black and white photo of a road. Turning the book over to see what the synopsis was, she was surprised to see there wasn't one. The back cover simply said, Tragic Love, Murder Mystery, Politics, and Philosophy. Opening the book, there was no picture of the author or even a biography. The first page was the beginning of the story and the last was the last page of the story. Diana sat there for a moment just looking at the photo on the cover. As she squinted, she could just make out people very far away in the photo. They were walking away from the camera.

She wondered why it was in among the better-known books. The spine wasn't bent at all. Maybe it was a gift he never got around to reading, she surmised. The photo on the front seemed to draw her back to it again and again. At first she had thought it was rather bland and dull, but the more she looked at it the more fascinated she became. She could still hear Clark working on the truck so she opened the paperback and read the first couple pages.

* * *

_Chapter One_

_It is gray and overcast, with smoke lingering over everything. The sounds of shells and bullets fill the air. Refugees slowly make their way along the road, pulling, carrying, and dragging whatever they have with them. There is no rushing or screaming, these people are too weary and have done this before. In the distance are the remains of a city. _

"_The lines shift and more refugees come to the Capital."_

_Prefect Castor, Deputy chief of security, absently says as he stands looking out his window. The office decor is minimal with only the red flag of the revolution standing by his desk and a file cabinet. An American reporter, Mark Blaine, sits across the desk from him taking notes._

"_Is that a regular occurrence?' The reporter asks. For a moment the Prefect seems a million miles away, but slowly he turns._

"_Yes."_

"_That must put a strain on your already limited resources, Perfect Castor?"_

_Castor straightens his uniform and sits down._

"_True, but it is just another part of our workers struggle. The ruling class has had them in shackles for so long, reeducation will be a priority after the war."_

_Blaine writes furiously, and then turns to some more questions._

"_That's the sort of thing my paper is looking for, Perfect. It's 1936 and the civil war in Spain is dominating the headlines everywhere, but we wanted to tell our readers about the struggle in your country. You know, to let them understand what's happening here," Blaine explains._

"_We support our brothers in Spain's courageous fight. The revolution is on the march."_

"_Some would say Fascism is on the march in Europe, Prefect," Blaine counters._

_Castor glances out the window again before answering._

"_An illusion used to try and stop the universal struggle."_

_Blaine smiles and writes this down. Castor turns to watch him scribble away. He's said the line so many times its second nature to him now. Once when the revolution had just started he believed these words, but eight years of fighting had taught him differently. _

"_I was wondering if you could help me with an overview of your struggle here? Your country was a monarchy for most of its history, wasn't it," Blaine asks._

_Castor nods as he repeats from rote the history of his people._

"_Yes, the people were under their thumb for almost four hundred years, but with beginning of the Great War things started to change. As we saw other countries, long kept in the shackles of the aristocracy fall, it was inevitable that the rising tide would sweep through our small nation."_

_Blaine continues to write furiously, checking off one question as he asks another._

"_The overthrowing of the King by the Archduke was something of a tipping point?"_

"_That was the moment the revolution was really born," Castor replies. "Until then the peasants and the bourgeoisie believed in the benevolence of the ruling class, but with Archduke overthrowing of the King, that veil were shattered once and for all. The tyranny that followed under the Archduke gave the people no choice._

_Blaine nods, as he looks through his notes for the proper quote._

"_The turning point was the arrest and execution of the Party leader Strabane," Blaine asks._

_Castor nods as he straightens his uniform._

"_Yes. That was the spark that sent the workers into the streets. The revolution began with the death of Strabane. He foretold it would come to an armed struggle with the aristocrats. The war began eight years ago on that day."_

_Blaine looks out the window as the sound of shelling grows a little nearer._

"_It's been a long fight, Perfect Castor. Neither side has prevailed. This city we sit in has changed hands too many times to count, hasn't it?"_

"_Yes, but the struggle continues. Other forces have changed things, but we continue to look forward to the day this is a true workers state."_

_Blaine nods and checks his notes._

"_It was in the fourth year of the war that the Zealots, I believe that's what you call them, came out of the hills?_

_Castor turns at the mention of them and a grim look comes over his face._

"_Soldiers of God, they called themselves. Zealots or the Black, it makes no difference. They're religious fanatics bent on purging this world and more specifically, this country of sin and evil. Ours citizens are a backwards people in many ways, you must understand. Marx said religion is the opiate of the people and he was right. The Zealots leader is some sort of mystic from out of the wilderness. There is no reasoning with them. They fight to the last man, woman or child, no matter how hopeless the cause. You either convert or you die."_

"_It was shortly after they first took the Capital that your side made it's agreement with the Loyalists, wasn't it,' Blaine asks._

_Castor bristles a little at this, but is prepared with an answer._

"_The Capital is the only sea link to the outside world, Mr. Blaine. The Zealots or the Black closed it off and would have starved everyone into submission. Our side, the Red if you will, could push them out of the city, but not while we were fighting both the Black and the Loyalists or as we call them, the White. The same thing was true for the White. A compromise was reached where we joined forces to take the Capital back. We share responsibility for it, but that agreement only extends to the Capital. The fighting continues everywhere else."_

_Blaine is just about to question this agreement further, when the Prefect's door opens and a Sergeant enters._

"_I said no interruptions,' Castor snaps._

"_Apologies, Friend-Prefect, but it's an urgent matter,' the Sergeant explains. The man is nervous as he moves over and hands a folder to the Prefect. Castor takes one look inside and then grimaces._

"_Another one?"_

"_Yes, Friend-Prefect."_

"_Mr. Blaine, I apologize, but I am called away on urgent business. We will have to continue this interview at another time,' Castor explains as he grabs his coat and heads for the door. "My secretary will provide you with any background information you need."_

_Before Blaine can say anything, the Prefect is out the door and gone._

_

* * *

_

"Diana? Are you ready,' Clark called out. "I've got the truck running so we might as well start your first lesson."

She was a little startled by his voice. She looked up from the book and was almost surprised to see she was still sitting in the loft.

"Um, yes, yes, I'll be right down."

"I'm just going to move the truck out of the barn first, so meet me outside,' he replied. Diana stood and started to set the book down, but then reconsidered.

"Kal?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I borrow one of the books you have up here,' she asked.

"One of the books?"

"Yes.'

"I guess, sure."

"Thank you, I'll be right down."

She picked up her bag and slipped the book into it. Dusting her clothes off, Diana headed down the steps.

As she walked out of the barn, Clark was standing next to the old truck holding the driver's side door open for her.

"You chariot awaits, milady,' he said with a formal bow. Diana looks at the truck and then back at him.

"I think I prefer the car, Kal."

"Hmm, you prefer a Mercedes to an old truck, huh? I guess you can wear jeans and a blouse, but a Princess's tastes are always there,' he teased. He held up the keys for her and had a smile on his face. Diana reached up and took them and then gave him a smack as she climbed into the truck.

"Ow," Clark groaned, rubbing his chest. "You should look up the laws on domestic violence, Diana."

"I barely touched you and don't call me Princess,' she answered as she looks over the instruments.

"I would just point out I didn't actually call you Princess, Diana, I was just commenting about your taste,' Clark offered. Diana wasn't listening and closed the driver's side door. "And that point is lost."

"Are you coming,' she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

She started up the truck and smiled as it roars to life. With safety in mind, Clark walked around the back and got into the passenger side. Diana watched as he rolled down the window and seemed to hug the door.

"I'm not going to bite, Kal,' she sarcastically said.

"No, but you hit,' he replied. "Four feet Diana, remember? Comfort zone ring a bell, plus it's just out of your reach."

"I could lean over and still reach you if I wanted to,' she countered.

"Not if I'm giving the driving lesson," he said with a shake of his head. "Both hands on the wheel, young lady."

"Yes, sir,' she offered in a mocking tone.

"Well, that's more like it,' Clark cheerfully replied. "Keep that up and we should get along wonderfully."

"Don't count on it."

"I really wasn't,' he said with a smile. "I can dream, can't it?"

"Is that what you dream about,' she suddenly asked.

Immediately the dreams he'd been having recently came streaming into his mind. Clark shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked away from her.

"Um, ah, no, but let's just concentrate on driving, okay?"

She stared at him for a moment wondering what was going on with him, but decided to ask later.

"Very well, how do we start?"

He turned back to her, thankful for having dodged a bullet.

"Okay, the most important thing to remember is this has nothing to do with strength. In fact, in cases like ours, strength is a liability. A truck or a car is a machine that wants to do what you want it to. Pressing the gas makes it go, hitting the brake makes it stop."

She gave him another look.

"I believe your cousin would reply 'Duh, Kal' I know how a car works,' Diana replied.

'I know you do, Diana,' Clark said with a smile. "I'm sure Kara will be flattered you're quoting her, but that's really not the point I was getting at. In the same way you have to be careful shaking a normal person's hand, you have to be careful driving a car. They are built for normal people, Diana. That's easy to forget, believe me. The first time I drove I put my foot through the floor pressing the brake by accident. Kara tore the steering wheel clean off trying to make a turn at ninety. With your strength something like that could happen if you're not careful, okay?"

"All right, I'll be gentle on your old truck, Kal."

"Thank you,' he said. "So why don't you put your foot on the brake and shift into drive?"

Diana nodded and slowly followed his instructions.

"Okay, now move your foot over the gas pedal and ease down on it."

Diana did this, being careful not to put too much pressure on the pedal. They began to move forward, all be it at a snail's pace.

"Okay, good so far, now give it a little more gas."

A smile came to Diana's lips as she pressed down on the gas pedal and they lurched forward, roaring out the dirt road that lead through the fields.

"DIIIIANNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Clark shouted as they disappear over the first hill.

* * *

Martha Kent walked out onto the porch as she heard her son scream. She laughed as she saw the dust cloud moving away from the farm. She mused it must be karma for all the nerve wracking moments Clark put her and Jonathan through when he was learning to drive. She just wished Jonathan were here to see it. He would have had a smile on his face for weeks.

A sudden rush of wind made her turn to see Kara landing by the side of the house. Kara glanced out towards the fields as she came up on the porch.

"Clark teaching Diana to drive,' Kara asked.

"Yes, is that why you came?"

"No, just wanted something to eat,' Kara replied.

"Don't they have food in the big city," Martha playfully asked.

"Yes, but not as good as yours, Ma,' Kara teased, kissing the older woman on the cheek.

"Well, aren't you the little charmer today?"

"Aren't I always,' Kara replied as she heads inside. Martha looked at her and rolls her eyes. She sighed and followed Kara inside.

Kara already has a muffin between her teeth as she opened the refrigerator.

"I'm making dinner, can you stay,' Martha asked.

"I don't know, maybe,' Kara absently replied, as she checked out some of the leftovers.

"Clark and his wife are staying,' Martha offered. She put a little emphasis on the word, wife. Kara instantly turned and had a big smile on her face.

"He told you?"

"Diana did."

"Oh, I wish I could have been here for that," Kara laughed. "How uncomfortable was Clark?"

"Very."

"Well, if they're staying, I'm staying,' she said. "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"So you knew about this already?'

"Sure."

"And you just forgot to mention it to me the last time I spoke to you,' Martha asked.

The smile on Kara's face slipped a little. She took another bite of the muffin and seemed to find the living room very interesting.

"Kara?"

"It was kind of a secret,' she admitted. "I figured Clark would tell you."

"I see."

"You're not mad, are you,' Kara asked.

"No, confused yes, but not mad,' Martha replied.

"I think it's funny and great,' Kara said. "They're perfect for each other!"

"Kara you haven't been pushing Clark have you," Martha questioned.

"What? Well, not really, um, ah, well, not too much,' she reluctantly replied. "I was just having fun."

"Okay, but remember it's Clark's life and who he dates or doesn't date is his business."

"All right,' Kara said rather glumly.

"Now that we have that out of the way, I want you to tell me everything,' Martha offered, pulling Kara over the table. The smile came back to Kara's face as the two of them sat down.

* * *

Out in the fields, the truck came to a sliding stop. Diana sat with a smile on her face for a moment before turning to Clark.

"I thought that went rather well for my first time, didn't you, Kal?"

The sound of metal screeching as he pried his fingers loose from the passenger door filled the air. He turned towards her, an astonished look on his face.

"You thought that went well? Really?"

"Yes."

"So my screaming your name and to stop you didn't see as a negative?"

"No, not really,' she explained. "It was a little irritating at first, but I know how cautious you can be so I just put it down as that."

"Diana, being nervous as you do eighty on a dirt road isn't being cautious,' he replied. There was more than a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Did you even hear me when I was talking about easing into it?"

"Yes, Kal," she patiently said. "I didn't use any of my strength as you suggested. I would also point out that you brought me here because there is no one around. It would be safe, you said, so I thought I would see what this old truck could do. I commend you on your workmanship. I didn't think it would go any faster than seventy."

"Um, ah, thanks,' he said, a little confused for the moment, but then got back on topic. "The point Diana was for you to learn how to drive safely, not see how fast the truck could go."

"I didn't hit anything and the truck is in perfect working order, 'she countered. "Well, except for where you dug your fingers into the side. I even stopped well short of the little ditch in front of us, Kal."

"Three feet! Three feet is not well short, Diana,' he exclaimed.

"Should I have stopped four feet away, Kal, that seems like a magic number to you,' she sarcastically replied.

"Cute, Princess, very cute."

She punched him in the arm.

"Ow!"

"See? I told you I could still reach you if I lean closer,' she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I kind of had a feeling you could,' Clark replied. "Look, Diana, the idea is to teach you safe driving. At that speed any number of things could have happened. For example, what if a ball bounced out in front of you and a child came running out after it? You wouldn't be able to stop."

"A ball? We're in the middle of a field, Kal,' Diana exclaimed. "There isn't a child for twenty miles in any direction. Anyway, why would a child be playing with a ball way out here?"

"It was just an example, Diana, of what could happen,' he offered, rubbing his forehead above his eyebrows.

"It was a poor example, Kal."

"Yeah, okay, how about an animal?"

"What kind of animal,' she asked.

He looked over at her and shook his head.

"A goat. I don't know, it doesn't matter what kind of animal it is, Diana, just pick one!"

"I disagree,' Diana replied. "If it was a large animal like a goat, a cow or a horse, I would have seen it a long time ago and slowed down."

"Okay, a squirrel," Clark said in exasperation. "Let's go with a squirrel. You wouldn't have seen that, would you?"

"No, " she reluctantly admitted.

"That's right, you wouldn't have,' he said, gaining speed in his argument. "You wouldn't have been able to stop in time. That's just out here in the middle of nowhere. You'll be doing most of your driving in the suburbs, remember? There's all sorts of things that can dart out in front of you, squirrels, kids, other cars and going as fast as you were you wouldn't be able to avoid them."

"I could open the door and put my foot out and stop the car,' Diana offered, not wanting to give in that he might have a point.

"Its not the Flintstones, Diana."

"All right, Kal, drive slowly, I get your point,' she finally said agreement.

"Thank you."

"You certainly take the fun out of the driving experience,' she grumbled.

He looked over and sees she was frowning now.

"Ah, jeez,' he lamented. "Okay, Diana, I tell you what, if you can drive at a reasonable rate for the next twenty minutes, you can go like a bat out of hell after that, okay?"

"Deal,' she immediately agreed, a smile lighting up her face.

"Great, so why don't you back it up and we can take the turn off,' he suggested. "That dirt road leads us deeper into the fields."

Diana nodded and slowly shifted into reverse. She was very careful and cautious as she backed up and turned the wheel to the other road. She looked over at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What would you consider reasonable, Kal?"

"Diana."

"I was just joking, Kal,' she replied.

* * *

Martha and Kara were standing on the porch as the old truck roared to a stop in front of him. The passenger door opened immediately and Clark practically jumped out.

"You two have fun," Kara called out. Clark turned and gave her a look. The driver's side door opened and Diana got out.

"Yes, Kara, I enjoyed it immensely,' she said. "I can hardly wait to drive again."

"Not with me," Clark muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Kal,' Diana asked.

"Nothing."

Kara giggled and then whispered to Martha, who smiled at her son.

"Well, if the driving lesson is over, Clark, why don't you and your wife come in for supper,' Martha said.

"Now don't you start, Ma,' Clark replied.

"Well, she is family now, Clark,' Kara added.

"That's right, "Martha continued. "I want to get to know my new daughter-in-law. I hope you're hungry Diana?"

"Yes, thank you, Martha."

"This is so great,' Kara said as she took Diana by the arm and lead her inside. "You're like my sister-in-law now, Diana!"

"You must tell us all about the wedding, Diana,' Martha added, taking her other arm.

"Well, it was a bit of a surprise, as I said earlier,' Diana replied.

"Was it lovely,' Martha asked.

"Yes, actually, even though I thought she was bluffing, my mother went all out on the decorations," Diana admitted. "Amazons are known for throwing elaborate feasts and ceremonies."

"I want to hear every bit of it," Martha said as they go inside. "Are you coming, Clark? Newlyweds usually don't like to be apart."

Clark stood at the bottom of the steps and could hear Martha and Kara laughing as they ushered Diana into the kitchen. He shook his head and sighed.

"Now I know where Kara gets it from."

"Don't leave your wife waiting, Clark,' Kara shouted and then laughed.

"Yeah, this is going to be a treat,' he groaned and then headed up the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

The Deep Blue Sea

"White and Red"

Gotham Heights

It was late when they got back to the house. Diana was in a wonderful mood. They'd only shared a simple meal, but Kara and Martha had made her feel a part of the family. She was comfortable with them, sharing in the laughter and stories. It reminded her of the rare occasions when she spent time with just her mother and sister. If this is what married life is like, she thought, she definitely liked it.

For Clark, he was a little worse for wear, having been the focus of many of those stories. It was nice to hear the old house filled with laughter again though, he thought. Ma had seemed younger as she joined Kara in teasing him. He just hoped Diana didn't take the two of them too seriously. They had really enjoyed needling him about the 'marriage'. He was reminded of this as they entered the house. It was just an illusion, a part of a bet and would be over in less than a month.

"I like your mother,' Diana said as they walked into the living room.

""I'm glad, she seemed to like you too,' he replied.

"I could do a lot worse in a mother-in-law,' she said with a smile.

"I suppose."

"I hope you don't mind, I invited them both here to see the house."

"No, that's fine."

"Martha seemed so interested in where we are living, I wanted to make her feel welcome,' Diana said.

"Thank you, that's very considerate of you, Diana,' Clark replied.

"Perhaps she'll have more stories to tell me about when you were younger,' Diana teased.

"Yeah, she definitely seemed to enjoy embarrassing me tonight," Clark said with a sigh. "It didn't help that Kara was urging her on."

"I thought it was funny."

"That's because they weren't stories about you,' he replied.

"They weren't that bad, Kal,' Diana commented. "I thought you seemed very adorable in most of them."

"Right, adorable,' he groaned. "That's the word most men like to hear themselves described as."

Diana laughed at this.

"Well, at least I got most of the jokes this time, Kal,' she said.

"So you're making progress in the bet."

"Um, yes," she replied, suddenly remembering that what had started this. For some reason she really didn't want to think about the bet right now and changed the subject. "I'm too excited to sleep, I thought I'd have a glass of wine. Would you like to join me?"

"No, I think I'm going to turn in, Diana. It's been a long day and I've got a shift on the Watchtower in the morning. I figured I'd get there early and do some laundry. If you have anything, I'd be happy to take it with me,' he offered.

"No, someone from the Embassy is going to stop by and pick mine up,' she replied.

"Ah, the privileges of being a Prin-Ambassador,' he said, quickly changing it from Princess to Ambassador, as he didn't want to get hit. "Okay, well, I guess I'll see you in the morning then. Good night."

"Good night,' she said. "Oh, Kal, when will you be home tomorrow?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, it's our one week anniversary so I thought we could have dinner together to celebrate,' she said. "I was wondering when your shift is over?"

"The usually time, I guess,' he replied, not sure what this was about. "Unless something comes up."

"Well, should I make reservations somewhere or order in," she asked.

"Um, ah, whatever you like, Diana."

"So you'll be home about four or five?"

"I guess."

"Well, all right then, I'll make plans for dinner,' she said, smiling at him.

"Okay. Um, good night again."

"Good night, Kal."

He gave her a look and then turned and headed upstairs.

"Thank you for the driving lesson, Kal."

He stopped and turned towards her.

"Well, except for a lead foot, you picked it up rather well."

"I wasn't driving that fast."

"You keep telling yourself that, Diana. Good night."

"Night."

* * *

She watched him go up the stairs and then turned and headed into the kitchen. They still didn't have proper plates or silverware, but they had glasses and wine. Diana selected a nice Pinot Grigio and uncorked it. Pouring herself a glass, Diana slowly wandered around the kitchen and then back into the living room. She had never before understood the attachment some people had to things, but as she looked around their home she was beginning to.

Running her fingers over the fabric of the couch and chairs, a sense of satisfaction came to her. These were hers. She had picked them and arranged everything in the room just so. Diana felt the room was warm and inviting, yet modest and understated. She had been in fancier surroundings most of her life, but found this appealed to her much more. These things, they were a reflection of her and her tastes. They said this is Diana's room and home, no one else's.

Diana wished Kal hadn't gone to bed; she would have liked to talk some more. That was the thing she liked the most about this evening. Sitting with Martha and Kara, she hadn't felt like Princess Diana of Themyscira or Ambassador of the Amazons or even Wonder Woman, she was just Diana. That was a rare thing for her, to just be treated like everyone else. The two women hadn't acted differently with her, but welcomed her into the conversation. They included her in the humor and teasing, not treating her special, but as one of the family.

Diana also got to see a side of Clark she hadn't before. With Martha and Kara, he wasn't as guarded as he usually was. She liked the easy way he and Kara had, teasing each other like brother and sister. He wasn't Superman on the farm; he was just a son and for all that mattered, brother there. That he included her in it warmed Diana's heart. She found him much more attractive when he let his guard down.

Glancing at the stairway, she took a sip of her wine and thought about her situation. When her mother had first proposed marriage Diana had to admit she was shocked and a little afraid. Yes, she found herself interested in the idea of dating since she arrived in the Man's World, but marriage seemed like such an alien concept to her. She realized that was what her mother was counting on. Even though she truly believed her mother was bluffing, there was a small part of Diana that was very uneasy about the idea that she wasn't.

She'd been married a week now. Diana hadn't known what to expect, but so far she found she liked it. Living with Kal was completely different than what she imagined being married would be like. It had started as a bet, but tonight at the farm it hadn't felt like that. As she answered questions about their wedding, Diana found herself thinking about it as a real thing. There had been a moment when she looked across the table at Kal. He was teasing Kara and she was giving it back to him. Diana found herself thinking that's my husband.

It had shaken her a little and still did. The surprising thing was that it hadn't been in a bad way. She actually liked the idea. It was when Martha happened to mention Lois Lane that Diana remembered it wasn't a real marriage. They were married in name only and for just a month. That part had slipped her mind for a little while.

She realized it had been slipping her mind more and more lately. The bet that had seemed so important when this started seemed incidental now. When he'd kissed her in the nightclub it seemed to awaken something inside Diana. She always found Kal attractive, but since kissing him, she'd been thinking of him differently. The part of the marriage that was missing was on her mind a lot lately.

Diana told herself it was out of the question, he was with another, but once the thought was there, she couldn't seem to get rid of it. She had felt his passion when he kissed her and it seemed to enflame her own. Thoughts of what it might be like to be with him continued to drift through her mind. Diana found herself aroused at the sight of him. It was also gratifying to know she was having an effect on him as well. She could still remember seeing him watching her as she walked away from the pool this morning. It had sent a thrill through her known he was watching.

She was used to men looking at her with desire. It was something that happened all the time. For the most part she gave it little thought. With Kal it was different. Diana found she was very aware of it and liked it. That she could affect him on such a basic level was a little intoxicating to her. It made her feel sexy and alluring in a very feminine way. That she had the power to stir those passions within him seemed to excite passions with her.

He's spoken for she kept reminding herself, yet the other thoughts remained.

* * *

Upstairs Clark had taken a quick shower and changed into his pajamas. He wasn't usually a pajamas guy, but this situation dictated he wear them. He climbed into bed and turned off the light. As he lay there trying to sleep, he thought back on the evening. He had to admit he'd enjoyed himself. He could have done without some of the teasing, but all in all it wasn't that bad.

Ma really seemed to be taken by Diana, he thought. Who wouldn't be? She's warm, generous, beautiful… let's stop right there, he told himself. This is a bet, that's all. Nothing good can come from that line of thinking. It would be so easy though, Clark thought. There were moments at the farm when he almost forgot it was just an illusion, that Diana wasn't his wife.

Seeing her laughing and chatting away with Ma and Kara it almost seemed real to him. He knew it wasn't however. She was interested in another. Yes, the situation made things complicated and confusing, but that only meant he needed to be more cautious. There was Lois to consider, as well. Their relationship was difficult enough, without adding anything to it. He knew she wanted more from him, but he didn't know if he could give Lois what she wanted. Lately it seemed something was always keeping them apart.

He was a man that honored his promises. By starting a relationship with Lois he'd made an unspoken promise to her. He couldn't let this unusual situation and the feelings it had stirred up make him forget that. He'd also made a promise to Hippolyta. Given her history with men, it meant so much more that she would accept his promise. He wanted to make sure he honored her trust in him.

Clark rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. Let's not make things more complicated then they all ready are. Just get through this month, he thought.

* * *

Downstairs Diana had poured herself another glass of wine. She wasn't tired at all, still keyed up from everything that had happened. She thought about taking a swim, but that didn't appeal to her. It was then she remembered the book. Digging through her bag, she pulled it out. She curled up on the couch, glass of wine next to her on the end table and opened it.

* * *

_Prefect Castor sat deep in the back of his government car as the rain began. The windows were bulletproof, but there was no reason to tempted the snipers. No one was even sure which side they were on anymore. The Capital sat on the coast, but mountains hemmed in the city on the other three sides. The snipers sat up there and fired any anyone unfortunate enough to be out in the open. It had become just another part of daily life the citizens had to deal with._

_His car eased down the main avenue and he could see the once glittering buildings of the Capital. The first years of the war had changed everything. None of the buildings were untouched by the fighting. Once this had been a jewel of Europe, now it was a bombed out shell of its former glory._

_His car turned off the main thoroughfare and started under the omnipresent canopies. It was the people's desperate response to the snipers. Every road that was vulnerable to them was covered with everything from bits of cloth to rags, sewn together. They sagged under the rain. It was a claustrophobic other world they drove through. Twisting and turning, the driver navigated the back streets as only someone that had been in the Capital the last few years could._

_There had been a murder._

_That in itself wasn't unusual. People died everyday. This was not a normal murder though._

_A sharp turn and they emerged from the world of cloth and rags. They were by the sea, shielded from the snipers. This is where the markets and refugee camps lie. Even in war, commerce and life go on. Castor's car pulled up and he slowly got out. The cold rain chilled his bones and he pulled his coat tighter around him. He could feel all the eyes of the citizens and refugees on him as he made his way towards the crime scene._

_A sergeant Booker stood waiting for him, eager to impress, no doubt._

"_Friend-Prefect,' the sergeant immediately said._

"_Friend-Sergeant."_

"_My apologies for bringing you out in this weather, but we were told to report anything like this directly to your office,' the sergeant explained. Castor waved him off as he took his first looked at the crime scene. There was a small body at the bottom of a bomb crater. The rain hadn't been able to wash away all the blood yet. _

"_That's the victim,' Booker remarked, pointing to the young girl in the crater._

"_She looks so young,' Castor absently commented. "Innocent."_

"_She's a prostitute," Booker said. "We put her age at thirteen or fourteen."_

"_She's someone's child, Sergeant."_

"_No one's come forward to claim her, Friend-Prefect."_

"_Still, let's try and remember it, even if no one else does,' Castor replied. He slowly made his way down into the crater, the muddy sides giving way under his feet. A tarpaulin had been hastily thrown over her, but with the wind and rain it had slipped off. Her eyes were open, but they had the dead look of doll's eyes. Castor bent down to get a better look at her. He could see the front of her dress was soaked with blood. Her neck had been slashed twice, which had cut through her windpipe and esophagus. It if was like the last one, there would be more wounds underneath her clothes. It was a grisly bit of work that had been done to her._

"_Has the medical examiner been here yet,' he called to Booker._

"_No, they are on their way."_

"_How many people have been done here?"_

"_The two that found her and several security personal, Friend-Prefect," Booker replied._

"_Whose idea was it to put the tarp over her?"_

"_The ones that found her," Booker said. "Out of respect or some such nonsense."_

"_Have you conducted any interviews?"_

"_Yes, my men have several suspects. We're taking them in for further questioning."_

_Castor knew by further questioning, Booker meant they were going to beat a confession out of someone. He was the type of official that could work for any government. It didn't matter what the politics, they always needed men that didn't mind getting their hands dirty. Before Castor could say anything, the sound of a siren was heard. He knew immediately who it was, the loyalist security forces. He slowly made his way up the side of the crater, as the sound grew nearer._

_Before the war, they were the secret police, but in the new reality of the shared Capital they proved their usefulness to the Loyalist government just as they had before the war. The long black automobile pulled up in front of Castor's government car and effectively blocked him in. Two flags of the former monarchy sat on the front bumpers. The driver quickly got out and opened an umbrella. He stood at attention by the back door. All eyes were on the door as a dramatic pause came and then it opened. Field Marshall Volkes stepped out._

_Murmurs and whispers of fear when through the crowd at the sight of him. Before the war he made his reputation as one of the more vicious dogs of the ruling class. No he served them as security chief in the shared government._

_The fighting between the White and the Red continued outside the Capital, but inside it was a different kind of warfare. It was hearts and minds they were fighting for. After years of war, the people just wanted to be safe and would follow anyone that could promise that. Killings like this one upset the balance._

_Volkes smiled as he saw Prefect Castor._

"_Friend Castor, how good to see you still take an interest in your job,' Volkes said._

"_I wasn't aware you've switched sides, Field Marshal," Castor replied. "Calling another friend is our way of signifying we are friends of the revolution."_

"_I on the other hand, just find it amusing, Castor,' Volkes offered._

"_So what brings the head of the secret police here,' Castor asked. "I would think you have enough to do making so many people disappear."_

_The smile slipped from Volkes face._

"_I am the head of the Loyalist Security forces, Prefect," Volkes said, his voice like ice. "These murders have upset the people and will not be tolerated. The true leaders of our nation want the people to know this will not stand."_

"_This is under my jurisdiction, Field Marshal,' Castor said. "It's clearly stated in the compromise that we of the Revolution are in charge of security."_

_Volkes smiled again as he walked over the crater and looked in._

"_Yes, I can see how well you are doing, too."_

"_We all ready have some suspects,' Castor said to quickly._

""_Then you and the people have nothing to worry about, do you,' Volkes replied. "Let's hope you are able to put an end to these grisly murders."_

"_We will."_

_The sound of the ambulance made them both turn. The worn out looking attendants climbed out with their gurney had made their way down into the crater. As they hauled the body up Castor turned to Sergeant Booker._

"_I will accompany them to the morgue, 'he said. "Continue the investigation here."_

"_As you wish, Friend Castor."_

_Castor nodded and headed towards the waiting ambulance. Field Marshall Volkes called after him._

"_Good luck, Prefect!"_

_Castor didn't reply and climbed into the waiting vehicle._

_

* * *

_

The sound the grandfather clock striking the hour caught Diana by surprise. She hadn't realized that two hours had slipped by. Her empty glass sat next to her. Reluctantly she set the book down and decided to turn in for the night. She picked up her glass and took it into the kitchen and washed it. She turned off the lights and locked the doors before heading upstairs.

Silently she opened the bedroom door and saw Clark under the covers. He must be asleep she thought. Picking up her nightgown, Diana went into the bathroom to change. She brushed her teeth and folded her clothes. Turning off the light she opened the door and stood there as her eyes adjusted.

She could see Clark lying on his side and a smile came to her lips. He looked so peaceful. Tiptoeing over to her side of the bed, Diana quietly pulled the covers down and climbed in next to him. She could feel the warmth of his body next to her and there was something comforting about it. She moved a little closer to him, nestling down into the bed. Diana was on her side facing him, as she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Gotham

Alfred was just putting the finishing touches of Master Bruce's wake up tray when the front door bell rang. Effortlessly he made his way through the mansion and opened the door. Zatanna was standing there smiling at him.

"Hello Alfred, how are you doing today,' she said as she walked by him into the mansion.

"Fine, Miss Zatara,' he replied. "I'm afraid Master Bruce isn't up yet."

"That's okay, I don't mind waking him up."

"Did he know you were coming today, Miss Zatara,' Alfred asked.

"No, I was just sitting in my hotel room with nothing to do, so I thought I'd come over and get him to take me to lunch,' she replied.

"Master Bruce doesn't like surprises, Miss Zatara."

She turned and smiled at Alfred.

"I know, that's what makes it even more fun. Look, Alfred, by the amazing smell of coffee coming from the kitchen I'm guessing you were just going to wake him up anyway,' she said. "How about you let me do it?"

"Um, Master Bruce really isn't much of a morning person, Miss Zatara,' Alfred offered.

"Alfred, I've known you since Bruce and I were kids, so I'll take all the responsibility,' she countered. "I'll just say you tried to stop me, but I forced you. Besides, won't it do him some good to be seen out with someone around town?"

"It wouldn't hurt your upcoming shows to get in the newspapers columns either,' Alfred offered with a smile.

"I'm shocked, shocked Alfred, you would think that of me,' she said feinting outrage.

"As you said, Miss Zatara, I've known you a long time."

"Good, so we're in agreement!'

Bruce Wayne's bedroom was pitch black, the curtains pulled tight to shut out the daylight. He didn't move a muscle as the door opened and someone entered. He could smell the coffee and assumed it was Alfred. His first hint it wasn't Alfred was when the curtains were thrown open.

"Close those curtains, damn it,' he growled.

"No."

The voice was all wrong, he thought through his sleepy haze. When the second curtain was thrown back, he winced and glanced up from the pillow.

"Zee?"

"Good morning, or should I say good afternoon, Bruce."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You're taking me out to lunch."

"I am?"

"Um-hum, coffee,' she replied, munching on a piece of bacon from the tray Alfred made.

"Ah, yeah, coffee, please,' he groaned. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight, he reluctantly sat up on the side of the bed. His body still hurt from the previous nights activities. He accepted the cup of coffee when she waved it under his nose. It took two sips before he even attempted to look at her.

"Is that my breakfast you're eating?"

"Yes,' she replied, taking another bite of the bacon. "Oh, Bruce, you might want to pull those PJs up a bit unless you were trying to give me a free show."

He quickly pulled the covers over his lap.

"Thank you," she said with a laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here again?"

"You're taking me to lunch."

"When exactly did I agree to that,' he asked.

"You didn't, I just decided this morning,' she replied.

"Don't I get any say in it?"

"No, you'd say no,' she offered. "Besides, you owe me."

"How do I owe you?"

"I'm doing you a favor, so now you can do me one."

"What time is it?"

"Almost twelve fifteen."

"You know I had a really late night, Zee,' he said. She nodded and continued to eat the food Alfred prepared.

"You always have a late night, Bruce, you should be used to it,' she countered. "You know, Alfred's a really good cook."

"Yes, I usually look forward to eating what he's made when I do get up,' he replied.

"I can see why, it's delicious."

"I'm sure he'll be pleased,' he said with a snide tone.

"So are you going to take a shower,' she asked. "It's a little gamey in here. Don't you clean up before you get in bed?"

"What the hell are you doing here again,' he asked, some of his irritation slipping through.

"Lunch, Bruce, you're taking me to lunch,' she said in a loud voice. "Now go get a shower so we can go!"

"What if I don't want to take you to lunch? Did you ever think of that,' he asked.

"No, you want to, you just don't want to admit it,' she replied.

He sat there and watched as she finished the bacon and started on the toast.

"You're not going to leave me anything, are you?"

"Nope."

"I guess I'd better take a shower then, if I want to get anything to eat."

She just smiled as he wrapped the sheet around him and headed into the bathroom.

* * *

The Watchtower

Clark had just come back from a mission helping with a forest fire and was just sitting down in the cafeteria to have a cup of coffee when Wally, Shayera and Mari came over and sat down with him. This was a little out of the ordinary, but he didn't mind.

"So how's it going, Supes,' Wally asked.

"Okay, how about yourself?"

"Good, good."

"How's married life,' Mari asked with a smile.

"Interesting."

"Have you seen her naked yet," Wally excitedly asked.

"Wally!" Both Shayera and Mari gasped.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Wally, no, I haven't,' Clark calmly replied.

"I can't believe you asked that,' Shayera said.

'What? We were all wondering,' he said in his defense.

"I wasn't, " Shayera replied.

"I was wondering a little bit,' Mari admitted.

"See! I mean come on, he's married to Wonder Woman and they are living together,' Wally continued. "This is like their honeymoon."

"It's actually not like that, Wally,' Clark said. "The marriage is just because of the bet, that's all. Diana's mother made it very clear her views on the subject."

"Did she threat you with a big knife?"

"Not with a knife, more of a sword really."

"Ouch,' Wally cringed.

"Still, you are sleeping together, aren't you,' Mari asked. "I mean we were there when Diana bought the furniture for your house. We all noticed she only bought one bed."

"One big bed,' Shayera added.

"Yes, but we're only sleeping in that big bed,' Clark countered.

"So let me get this straight, you're in bed with Diana, Wonder Woman,' Wally asked. "What's she wearing, by the way?"

"None of your business."

"I'm just going to have to imagine something from Victoria Secret then,' Wally replied. "So there she is, Wonder Woman in next to nothing, in the bed with you and you're trying to tell us nothing happens?"

"Yep," Clark said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Wow, you really are an alien. What the hell planet are you from again,' Wally asked.

"Wally,' Shayera shouted, giving him a smack on the back of the head.

"Well, he does kind of have a point, Shayera,' Mari spoke up. "I mean its Diana."

"So?"

"Have you seen her? I don't even go that way and I'd be tempted."

"Just how tempted,' Wally asked with a grin. This got him a smack from Mari.

"You brought it up, " he grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Look, we are only doing this, so Diana can win the bet, that's all,' Clark stated. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but nothing's happened and nothing's going to happen."

"Nothing?" Wally just couldn't seem to get his head around the idea.

"Nothing."

"So did your planet blow up from sexual tension, is that it,' Wally asked.

Clark rolled his eyes at this and was about to reply when Jonn came over to the table.

"Superman, could I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Jonn."

"I know your shift is almost over, but we just received a request for our help from Doctors without Borders,' Jonn explained. "It seems two of their doctors have gone missing in some of the disputed territories in Africa and they were hoping we could help find them."

"I'd be happy to help, Jonn, they do good work,' Clark replied.

"I'll lend a hand if you need me," Wally said.

"Me too," Shayera added.

"Yes, count me in,' Mari said.

"Thank you all,' Jonn said with a smile. "Because of the region involved they are very worried about their people."

"Say no more, we are on it,' Clark said and then they all were out of their seats and heading towards the transporters.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Later

Diana had put in a full day. She'd been awakened by the sound of lawn mowers early this morning. Clark was already gone, so she got up and started her day. She showered and dressed, and then contacted the Embassy to see what matters needed attention. She put in several solid hours going over proposals and requests, along with catching up on all the paperwork. One of her staff members arrived around lunchtime and dropped off more clothes for her, while picking up her things that needed cleaning.

As she ate a light lunch of fruit, the sound of those lawn mowers continued. Diana went to the window and looked out. Up and down the street, people were out cutting their lawns. As she stood there, she glanced at her own lawn and the idea that it could use cutting came to her. There was a push mower in the garage and it seemed easy enough to work. Deciding to get into the spirit of the neighborhood, Diana would cut their lawn.

She changed into a pair of shorts and borrowed one of Clark's undershirts to wear. She put on some tennis shoes and went out to take care of the lawn. She started with the front lawn and noticed quite a few of her neighbors were outside watching her. She smiled and waved and they all returned her greeting. It really was a friendly neighborhood she thought, all the neighbors were outside. It was almost as if a crowd was gathering to watch her cut her grass.

Just as she was finishing the front, the paperboy collided with a mailbox. Diana helped him up and reminded him to be careful and watch where he was going. He just smiled at her the whole time and nodded. He must be shy, she thought. She moved on the side and backyard, meeting more neighbors as she did. As she was finishing, LuAnn came walking over.

"Hello Diana,' LuAnn called out.

"Hello."

"Is Clark here?"

"No."

"Oh, that's too bad,' LuAnn said in disappointment. Something about the smaller woman annoyed Diana, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well, anyway,' LuAnn said. "I just came over to invite you both to a barbeque this weekend. Cubby and I are having it and we are inviting some of the people from the neighborhood. I thought since you're new, it would be a nice way for everyone to get to know you."

"Thank you, LuAnn, that's very generous of you,' Diana replied.

"Oh, no problem,' LuAnn said. "I hope Clark, I mean, you and Clark can make it."

"We will let you know,' Diana offered with a fake smile.

"All right, don't forget to tell Clark I said hello and hope he can come,' LuAnn said as she headed back towards her house. Diana just waved and headed back inside. She noticed the crowd of neighbors seemed to break up as she was entering the house. She guessed they were finished with their lawns as well.

After showering and changing her clothes, she checked the clock and saw she still had time before Clark got back. With nothing really important to do, she decided to read a little more.

* * *

_Prefect Castor stood outside the morgue waiting to talk to the medical examiner. It had been a few hours since they brought the body in and he was eager to learn all the details. The door to the morgue finally opened and a tired looking older man waved him inside._

_Castor stood a few feet away as the man pulled a cover over the body._

"_All right, Prefect Castor, I know you have questions,' the coroner said. "We might as well get on with it._

"_Thank you Friend-Silas,' Castor started, but the coroner cut him off._

"_I'm not part of the Revolution, Prefect."_

"_You're with the White then,' Castor asked._

"_No, I'm with no one, Prefect, "Silas explained. "I grew tired of politics years ago. Now I'm just a civil servant doing his job. I leave the politics and the fighting to the rest of you."_

"_Fair enough," Castor said. "What can you tell me about the victim?"_

"_Name unknown,' Silas began. "My guess is thirteen at the most, five two, eighty-seven pounds. Most likely a prostitute."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes, there are physical indications of it. It's not uncommon, really,' Silas explained. "The refugees arrive in the Capital, many times with nothing other than what is on their backs. Desperate people do desperate things to survive. The young are no different."_

"_And how did she die?"_

"_Her throat was cut, twice. They were dead cuts and the cause of her death. When I began my examination I discovered that her abdomen had been wounded and mutilated as well."_

"_Is it like the one before, Castor asked._

"_Yes, only this one is worse,' Silas replied. "The killer cut open her stomach and pulled out her lower intestines. Why, I haven't the faintest clue."_

"_So you believe this is the work of the same person?"_

"_Undoubtedly,' Silas said. "The cuts are made with the same blade and the precision of the wounds are the same."_

"_The precision of the wounds, what do you mean?"_

"_Whoever did this knew what they were doing, Prefect. In both cases the first cut to the throat was fatal. The mutilation of the body is similar as well."_

"_So I have a double murderer on my hands,' Castor lamented._

"_I believe you have something worse, Prefect."_

"_How could it be worse?"_

"_Whoever did this, I believe liked it,' Silas explained. "They will not stop."_

"_So we have a serial killer on our hands,' Castor groaned. _

"_Yes, and if the first two victims show any pattern it will get much worse."_

"_A monster,' Castor whispered. What could make someone what to do something like this?"_

"_We're at war, Prefect and have been for several years, " Silas sadly explained. "War unleashes the darkest natures in men. Once the rules on killing are broken, all the other evils come spilling out."_

_

* * *

_

The sound of the front door opening pulled Diana from the book. She looked up to see Clark walk in. She glanced at the clock and saw he was late.

"Hello, Kal."

"Hi."

Setting the book down, Diana stood up as he entered the room. There was something different about him, a distance.

"I didn't know what you wanted to do about dinner so I waited,' she said.

"I don't care, whatever you'd like,' he softly replied.

"How about take out,' she asked.

"Fine."

"Is something wrong, Kal?"

"No, just tired,' he replied. "I think I'll take a shower if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. I'll order dinner."

"Okay."

Diana watched him walk up the stairs and knew something was wrong. There was a sadness that seemed to linger all around him. She had never seen him like this before and wondered what could have caused it. She ordered dinner, but her mind was on him the whole time.

Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. As Diana went to answer it, Clark was coming down the stairs. She paid for the food and tipped the nice boy that delivered it.

"Just in time for dinner, " she said to Clark.

"I'll get the plates and napkins,' he offered.

They sat at the dining table and started the meal, but the longer she was with him the more she knew something was wrong. He tried to reassure her it was nothing, but she wasn't fooled.

"Kal?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened,' she asked. "You can tell me."

"Just a mission, Diana."

"Tell me, Kal."

He looked up from his food at her and saw the concern on her face. Normally, in the past he would just play it off, not wanting to worry anyone else with his problems. Martha and Jonathan Kent, Lana, Lois, they all had enough problems without worrying about him too. The horrors he saw as Superman he kept to himself. As he looked at Diana he realized she was different. She'd seen the same sort of things he had. Maybe this once he could actually talk about it with someone else.

"Tell me, Kal,' she repeated.

"When I was in junior high we read the Diary of Anne Frank, Diana,' he began. 'I remember reading for the first time her famous quote, 'Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.' I remember thinking how could she believe that with everything that was happening around her? It stuck with me, though. When I became Superman I found I wanted to believe that too. I know it made me seem naïve or a Boy Scout, but I felt if it was true than it made all the work worthwhile."

"What happened today,' she asked. She reached out and took his hand to encourage him to talk to her.

"It was a mission,' he said. "It wasn't a big thing, just two doctors from Doctors Without Borders had gone missing and they asked for our help in finding them. It's the kind of thing we all want to help with."

"I know."

"They were in a rather dangerous area, but they weren't there taking sides, they were there trying to help,' he continued. "It took about a half hour, but I found them. They were dead, shot."

"Oh, Kal, I'm so sorry,' Diana offered.

"Thank you, but that wasn't it, Diana,' he replied. "People die everyday and even I can't change that. It's just that when I found them, the people in the small village they were trying to help were dragging their burned bodies through the streets, laughing. I was so angry I wanted to shout at them and ask what they thought they were doing, but I could see they didn't care about those two doctors."

He looked at her and she could see the sorrow in his eyes.

"That isn't the first time I've seen something like that, Diana. I've seen horrors like that repeated all over the globe. Maybe if Anne Frank had known what was going to happen to her and her family, she would have thought differently. I find myself wondering if maybe people really aren't good at heart. Maybe it's just pretty illusion we all like to believe in and the truth is much darker."

"I don't believe that, Kal and neither should you,' Diana said to him. "Yes, people can do monstrous things. That evil tends to blind us to the everyday, ordinary goodness that's all around us. Since I've been in the Man's World, I've seen it first hand. It's not just heroes, either, Kal. I've read The Diary of Anne Frank too. She wrote that in silence, while evil loudly marched all around her. I believe she was right. That evil was vanquished and her message endures."

They sat there silently for a long time. He let her words sink in.


	17. Chapter 17

The Green Light

"In the meantime/ In between time-"

Metropolis

A woman of strong opinions certainly described Lois Lane. Others would use different words but in the end they all mean basically the same thing, Lois usually knew what she wanted and did her best to get it. If her style wasn't as smooth or polished as some others, she could live with that. She always believed that when it came right down to it, everyone looks out for themselves first otherwise they were a fool.

That wasn't to say she couldn't be generous, because she was. She just understood that despite all the noble words to the contrary, it was really impossible to care more about someone else than yourself. Humans weren't set up that way. As cold as it sounded before you could help others you had to help yourself.

Lois was also realizing that wanting something and having it were two different things. When you want something, you imagine this perfect picture in your mind of what it will be like when you finally get it. That fancy sports car never seems more amazing than it does in your imagination. Once you have something reality sets in. That fancy sports car is temperamental in cold weather and the electrical system is a constant headache. You still love the car; it just isn't as incredible as you imagined it would be.

Relationships can be like that too.

Each of us has fantasies about what it would be like to be with some famous celebrity or sports figure. We imagine how incredibly perfect it would be if they were in our lives. In those fantasies we never consider there might be problems that go along with being with the celebrity, everything's always perfect.

Lois had those fantasies about being with Superman; only in her case they'd come true. At first it was just like she imagined, but as time past reality was beginning to intrude. She was in love with, of that she had no doubt. The part that was troubling her was that she'd begun to wonder if that was enough. In the fairy tales it was, but this wasn't a fairy tale.

When she was in his arms or flying over the city with him any doubts seemed to vanish. It was when she was alone in her apartment and he had canceled because of some emergency that the doubts surfaced. There would always be emergencies to take him away from her. It was one of the many things she admired and loved about him, that he did so much good for the world. She would never ask him to give that up.

It was ironic really, the very things that drew her to him also kept him away. It would always be like that. Being with him meant sharing him with the world and usually the world got more of him. It wasn't vanity or pettiness on her part, she just wanted to be with the man she'd fallen in love with. More and more she realized it would never be that simple, she would never and couldn't be first in his life.

Most would say she was lucky just to have him in her life and she should be happy to get whatever time he could spare. There were probably millions of people that would gladly changed places with her. They had the same fantasies she used to have. It would be pointless to try and explain how if wasn't quite like that imagined.

As she exited the Daily Planet building, Lois found herself at a crossroads. The fantasy was gone and now there was just the reality. She wanted more, but knew he couldn't give it to her. As selfish as it sounded, she didn't want to be second in her partner's life. She would never be happy being second and if she wasn't happy how could the relationship work?

Her mind was so filled with these thoughts; she wasn't watching where she was going. As she was about to step off the curb, a hand reached out and pulled her back. She was about to complain when the bus passed within inches of her. Startled and frightened she jumped back and found herself in someone's arms.

"You should watch where you're going, Lois,' a masculine voice said to her.

Lois turned to see Richard White smiling at her.

"Ah, um, ah, thank-thank you, Richard, you saved my life, I think,' she somehow managed to say.

"I guess you don't need to be Superman to save someone, do you,' he joked.

Lois glanced up at the sky for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, I guess not."

"You know, Lois, since I saved your life, you owe me,' he offered. "I was just on my way to lunch, why don't you join me?"

"Ah, thanks again, Richard, but I probably shouldn't,' she replied.

"It's just lunch, Lois, how can you refuse the man that just saved your life,' he asked with a smile.

"That's blackmail, Richard."

"Is it working?"

"Oh, all right, but just lunch,' she finally said. He held his hand up as if he were taking an oath and then offered his arm to her. Hesitantly, Lois took it.

"I hope you like Italian,' he said. "There's a little place I've been dying to try."

"Yeah, I like Italian,' she admitted.

"It's just a couple of blocks from her, why don't we walk?'

"Okay.'

He gave her a charming smile and the two of them started down the street.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark did a quick once over of the human interest story for mistakes. He didn't see any and pressed send. Hopefully if he did a few articles here and there, Perry wouldn't begrudge him the extra time off. He'd agreed to it, but that didn't mean he liked it. If usable articles still came his way from Clark Perry would overlook that he wasn't at the office.

Finished for the day, he got up and walked towards the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door and stared at the emptiness in front of him. There was some fruit and leftover cartons of Chinese food, but other than that it was slim pickings. Grabbing the last can of Coke, Clark closed the door to find Diana standing right there.

"Hey,' he said, stepping back in surprise. "Practicing your stealth, Diana?"

"No, perhaps the empty refrigerator was just too fascinating for you to hear me come up,' she countered with a smile.

"Witty."

"I'm making a list, Kal,' she said, not acknowledging his last remark. "We've been here a week and there are still many things we need."

"Like food,' he said.

"Yes and plates and cutlery,' she replied. "I thought we could go shopping today and get everything we need."

He glanced at the list in her hand.

"That's kind of detailed, isn't it? You wrote down what patterns you want the plates to have?"

"Why make a list if you're not going to be thorough,' she asked. "I know exactly what I want to go with the rest of the house, Kal. By making a precise list I get what I want."

"Very orderly of you,' he remarked.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "It's something Amazons are raised with, an eye for detail."

"I think this goes a little beyond detail, Diana,' he observed as he looked at the list again. "You want the dinner knife to be exactly 9.7 inches? You measured them?"

"The dinner knife is the largest knife in a standard place setting, Kal. Of course it should be the longest,' Diana explained.

"Of course."

"So are you done with your work,' she asked.

"Yeah, just finished it up."

"So shall we go? I checked online and there are several quality stores in the area."

"Okay, but it doesn't sound like you really need me on this one,' he said.

"Of course I do, Kal, I want you opinion on what's in our home,' Diana replied.

"What if my opinion is different than yours,' he asked with a smile.

She just looked at him for a moment.

"Right, just like every other married couple,' he finally said. 'After you."

They were heading out the door when a thought occurred to him.

"Diana, hold on a second,' he said, reaching out for her arm. She turned towards him.

"I just wanted to thank you for listening the other night. I really appreciated it."

"You are welcome, Kal," she replied. "That's what a wife's suppose to do."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes and before you ask, because I say so,' Diana said with a smile.

'Yes ma'am."

"You're learning, Kal," Diana said with a laugh. He was just about to make a counter remark when some called his name. He looked up to see LuAnn from across the street coming towards him.

"Clark!" She shouted with a big smile. "I'm so glad I caught you!"

"Oh, this one,' Diana said under her breath. LuAnn reached up and hugged Clark, kissing him on the cheek.

"I just wanted to see if you're coming to the barbeque this weekend,' LuAnn asked.

"The barbeque? What barbeque?"

LuAnn seemed surprised and turned towards Diana.

"Didn't you tell him about it, Diana?"

"It must have slipped my mind,' she offered. Clark cocked an eyebrow towards her but didn't say anything.

"I know the feeling, things slip my mind all the time. Anyway, Cubby and I are having a barbeque this weekend and you simply must come, Clark,' LuAnn said. "Oh and you too, Diana, of course."

"Of course,' Diana repeated.

"Well, thank you for the invitation, LuAnn, "Clark began.

"You have to come, Clark, all the neighbors are dying to meet you both," LuAnn said, cutting him off. "Now I won't take no for an answer. Say you'll come, please!"

"I'll try,' Clark reluctantly replied. "Should Diana and I bring something?"

"Who?"

"His wife,' Diana said moving over to put her arm around Clark.

"Yes, of course, it must have slipped my mind,' LuAnn replied. She flashed a huge smile at Diana. "I think I'd forget my head sometimes if it wasn't attach."

"I'd like to see that,' Diana murmured.

"Okay, well thanks for the invitation, LuAnn,' Clark quickly said. "I guess we'll see you this weekend."

"Wonderful! Now don't forget!" LuAnn said. "Bye Clark! Bye Diana!"

"Bye,' Diana said with a fake smile. Clark returned LuAnn's wave and when she was far enough away turned to Diana.

"It slipped your mind,' he asked. He gave her a look at the said, 'come on, Diana, what's the truth'.

"Yes, well, sort of," she replied and then admitted her real feelings. "I don't like her."

'You? Really?'

"Yes, Kal, why is that so hard to believe?"

"I guess I just never thought about it actually,' he said. "You always seemed to like everyone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Kal, no one likes everybody," Diana replied.

"So who else don't you like,' he asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know, off hand I can't think of anybody,' she said.

"Maybe you could make a detailed list of that next,' he teased.

"You have a problem with my making a list of the things we need for the house,' she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, but why stop there,' he continued. "You could put down the person's name and then the very specific reason you don't like them."

"You mean like someone that enjoys teasing me,' she asked. "Guess who would be on the top of that list, Kal?"

"How many guesses do I get?"

"One."

He just smiled at her as they stood face to face in the front yard.

"I thought you wanted to go shopping,' he finally said.

"I do and I'm driving,' she replied with a smile.

"You know usually when a man and a woman are together, it's the man that drives," he quickly said. It was her turn to give him an amused look. Diana held up the keys and jingled them as she headed for the car.

"Yeah, somehow I didn't think that would fly,' he admitted.

* * *

Themyscira

Hippolyta was just finishing up the business that went with being Queen, but her mind was elsewhere. It seemed her daughter was more stubborn than she thought. Not only had she gone through with the marriage, she had been living with Superman for a week. Through channels Hippolyta got reports of everything that was happening from the Embassy and she didn't like what she was hearing. Not only was Diana continuing with the 'bet', Hippolyta's spies observed she seemed happy when she contacted the Embassy.

That bothered the Queen. It was so frustrating relying on second hand reports, especially where it concerned her daughter. As the others filed out, Hippolyta leaned forward on her hands trying to figure out something she could do.

"Diana,' General Phillipus asked.

"Yes."

"I thought the wedding would work."

"I did to, but apparently my daughter is even more stubborn than I thought,' Hippolyta admitted.

"So what are you going to do,' Phillipus asked.

"What can I do? I'm here and Diana's in something called the suburbs,' Hippolyta lamented. "It's been a whole week and still she continues this charade!"

"May I suggest something?"

"Of course."

"Diana decided to accept your challenge and marry Superman rather than give up this bet,' Phillipus explained. "Since she's decided to live this pretend marriage, I was thinking you should too."

"How so,' the Queen asked.

"It's been a while since I was in the Man's World, but I do remember a custom where the mother-in-law visits."

The two women looked at each other and then smiled.

"Oh, that's very good, Phillipus, very good,' Hippolyta said. "If Diana wants to pretend to be married then I can pretend to be the visiting Mother-in-law."

"Yes, it will give you a chance to remind Superman of his promise and I would imagine the Princess would not like it one bit,' Phillipus offered.

'I like it even more. Have the Embassy send down pictures of these suburbs and what women are wearing in them,' Hippolyta said. "I think it's time Diana and her husband had a visit from her mother and aunt."

"You wish me to go?"

"Yes, and bring your sword."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark had never been much of a shopper and he was finding out that being a passenger wasn't too great either, at least being a passenger in a car driven by Diana. While she observed most of the traffic laws, she had a rather aggressive style of driving, very aggressive.

They'd been pulled over once already, although the nice policeman as Diana called him didn't give her a ticket. He had a feeling she wouldn't when the first word out of the officer's mouth was pretty. When the officer asked if she knew how fast she was going, Diana had replied yes, of course she did. Remembering the first time he met Diana, Clark couldn't blame the officer for letting her go. She definitely made quite the first impression.

It did get a little annoying in a couple of the stores she picked out. Watching other men fall all over each other to help her and treat him like he was invisible got old very fast. Come on, Clark thought, I'm supposed to be her husband here, could you stop drooling over my wife? Have some dignity; you act like you've never seen a beautiful woman before, he grumbled.

Begrudgingly, he did have to admit her list cut down on the time spent shopping. The I told you so look and smile she gave him made him almost regret admitting it. Most of his time was spent agreeing with what she picked out. Clark knew when to pick his battles and what pattern the china had wasn't one of them.

The grocery store was a different matter. Just like everyone else, they both had very specific likes and dislikes. For the most part they agreed on what they were buying, but inevitably they were conflicts.

'Klondike Bars? Have you read the label, Kal,' Diana asked. "They certainly don't sound healthy at all."

'This is your first time in a Whole Foods grocery store, Diana,' he explained. "Well any grocery store for that matter. What we have here is the fundamental difference between good for you and just good. Klondike Bar are just good.'

"Really,' she said, though her tone indicated she wasn't buying it.

"Ice cream and chocolate, Diana, do I really need to say more?"

"Don't you think you're overselling it a bit, Kal?"

"Have you ever had an Klondike Bar, Diana?'

"No."

"Well, think of this as an opportunity to experience something new,' he said. "Like how fascinated you were with the automatic sprayer over the vegetables."

"That was ingenious,' she admitted. "I also like how they have free samples throughout the store."

"I actually guessed that by the way you stopped at every one of them."

"I was just trying to be polite,' she said in justification.

"Uh-huh, cause the lady passing out cheese and crackers would have been so crushed if you hadn't stopped,' he replied with a bit of a mocking tone.

"I notice you jumped right in line when they were giving out shish kabobs,' she fired back.

"Meat on a stick, Diana, I've always been fascinated with the technology,' he joked. "It's the scientist in me."

'I think it's something else coming out of you,' she commented. "And the first part is bull."

"Nice to see Kara is expanding your vocabulary, I'm sure your mother would be pleased,' he countered. "A week in the suburbs and all the manners of the Princess go right out the window."

"If you want your little treat so bad, Kal, just say so," she replied and then hit him in the shoulder. "And don't call me Princess."

"Ow, could you at least not hit me in public, Diana? Please,' he asked. She reluctantly nodded and they were both silent for a few moments.

"Are you okay,' he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "That was our first fight as a married couple, Kal."

"I apologize if I made you angry,' he offered.

"Thank you, I apologize as well, 'she said.

"So we're okay?"

"Yes."

"Good."

They smiled and started down the aisle.

"Kal?'

"Yeah?"

"Do we have to get these,' she asked, holding up the Klondike Bars. "They are really not good for you."

"We're getting them, Diana,' he firmly said, putting them back in the basket.

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah was trying to get some work done, but couldn't concentrate. She knew he was in the room somewhere. She didn't want to acknowledge me out of fear of encouraging him. Despite the assist with the bikers, he just got on her nerves. It wasn't like she'd been shy about telling him, but he didn't seem to get it. If he called her Boss one more time, she couldn't promise not to hit him. As much as she hated it, she just had to know where he was in the room.

"Well, I guess I should get ready to take on more of those bikers,' she said aloud. "Maybe I should consider some backup this time."

She waited, but couldn't see anything move. Sighing in frustration, she continued.

"I really wish there was someone I could ask."

Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw the wastebasket move and quickly turned. Eyeing it suspicious, she got up and went over to it. She gave it a little kick to see if he would react. Nothing. She gave it a little harder kick, still nothing.

The door slid open and she turned to see who it was. It was Shayera. Dinah quickly looked back at the wastebasket, but it still hadn't moved.

"What are you doing,' Shayera asked.

"He's in here,' Dinah replied. "I don't know where, but I can feel he's in here."

"Who?"

"Plastic Man."

"You think he's the wastebasket?"

"I thought I saw it move."

"Dinah, come on, sit down a second,' Shayera said in a very gentle voice. "I think it's starting to get to you."

"I'm telling you he's in here, Shayera."

"I don't think he is."

"Oh, trust me, he's here somewhere,' Dinah grumbled.

"Let's take a break, huh? Maybe get some coffee or something,' Shayera offered. 'Decaf in your case."

"I'm not losing it Shayera, he's here!"

"Sure he is, honey, sure he is." Shayera nodded. "Now come on, the stress is starting to get to you. You need to relax."

Shayera put her arm around Dinah and ushered her towards the door.

"You don't believe me, but he's here!"

"Well, then we'll just take a break for a little while and he'll be gone when you get back."

"I'm not crazy!"

"No, no, of course not,' Shayera replied as they exited the room.

The door slid closed and the room was silent for a moment. Slowly the chair Dinah had been sitting on began to change. A smiling Plastic Man looked down at the work she had been going over.

"I'm winning her over,' he happily said. "A-ring-a-ding-ding-ding-Ding!"

* * *

Metropolis

They had finished the shopping and Clark had decided to make a quick patrol of the city. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kara, just that he wanted to be seen around town so no one would put together that both Clark Kent and Superman were gone.

Things were pretty quiet, although he stopped a small robbery. The police and reporters arrived just as he was leaving, so it would make the papers that he was there. He finished the patrol and was just about to head back when he decided he should stop and see Lois. With the situation as it was, she'd been on his mind a lot lately.

As he flew towards her apartment, he spotted her sitting on her balcony having a cigarette. That usually meant she was thinking about something. She spotted him as he descended and watched him all the way down.

"Hi, Lois.'

"Hi, Superman. I didn't think I'd be seeing you anytime soon,' she said.

"Just stopped to make sure the city's all right."

"Is it?'

"Yeah, it seems so," he replied. "Quiet night."

"Yes, it is,' she said.

"How have you been?"

"I don't know' she replied. "I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"Oh?"

"About us."

"And?"

"It's not working, is it,' she asked.

"Lois I know things have been difficult lately, " he began. "I realize that my keeping secrets hasn't helped either."

"That's not it,' she said with a shake of her head.

"It's not?"

"No, I realized that even if you told me who you are in that other life, it wouldn't change what's bothering me,' she explained.

"What is bothering you,' he asked.

"This. Us. I'm not sure I can do this anymore.'

He started to object, but she waved him off.

"No, please, let me say this while I have the nerve,' she told him. "I think maybe we should take a break, see other people."

"Why?"

"You're Superman, you belong to the world,' she said. "I thought I was okay with that, but I'm not."

"Lois I can't change who I am,' he replied.

"I'm not asking you to, really. I know there are bigger things involved and what you do is important,' she continued. "I just can't do this part time anymore."

"Maybe I could switch things around some,' he offered.

"No, that's not what I want, Superman."

"What do you want?"

"What I can't have. I realize that now"

"Lois, don't do this, please,' he urged. "Let's talk about it."

"I don't really think there's anything left to say," she sadly replied. "I love you, but I don't think that's enough."

"I love you, too, Lois."

"Thank you for that. It makes this easier."

"Don't do this,' he asked again.

"But don't you see, I have to,' she explained. "I'm not happy with how things are and I know they aren't really going to change. Maybe I've been kidding myself all this time, but I find I want the fairy tale. I want to come first."

"Lois…"

He started to speak, but she stopped him.

"Don't, please, don't make promises now that you won't be able to keep,' she said. "The world needs Superman. I couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of changing that. I just don't want to share anymore. It was a beautiful fantasy, but now it's time to face reality. I'm sorry."


	18. Chapter 18

Janus

Backwards/Face/Forwards

Smallville

In moments of crisis, it's always nice to be able to go home and that's what Clark did. Not to the farm, as he didn't want to talk about what happened just yet. It was still too raw, too painful to put into words. He'd spent the night in Gotham Heights pretending that everything was all right, but that was far from the truth.

No one likes endings. Even if we're the person doing the ending, there's a small part that will always wonder what if? An ending means the end of the possibility. Right up until the very minute something's over, we want to believe there is still a chance that things will work out.

As far as he knew, Clark had been in love twice in his life. Now both had ended for similar reasons. He was Superman. Apparently that was just too big a hurdle to overcome. That, it appeared, was the bargain that came with having his gifts. If having a relationship with someone, anyone, wasn't hard enough for a regular person, Clark had a whole set of other issues and problems to deal with.

As he walked down the main street, he saw other young couples enjoying the day. It caused a slight twinge of pain within him. The truth was, Clark didn't know what he was feeling. It had been such a calm, sad breakup, without any fireworks. Sadness was there, but mostly there was an overwhelming sense of melancholy. Things ended with a whisper, not a shout.

Perhaps he'd been spoiled growing up around Jonathan and Martha. He'd never heard either of them use the words soul mate, but they truly seemed happy with each other. Clark had thought Lois might be his soul mate, but then again he'd thought the same thing about Lana.

As he walked along the streets of his childhood home, he began to wonder if maybe the idea of a soul mate wasn't how it really worked. The notion that someone would fit perfectly with you like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle seemed too neat, too the stuff of fairy tales. He loved Lana and Lois at separate times, did that mean he had two soul mates or none?

Maybe the truth is there wasn't one right person, but many people that might be the right person. Maybe life wasn't supposed to fit into some neat, orderly narrative. Maybe life is really a series of moments, random at best, that when we look back on them seems to form a pattern or destiny.

Wasn't his life a perfect example of that? Looking back it made sense, but what were the odds really? Jor-El and Lara had sent him off to Earth to save him. They didn't know Kansas from Minsk, so it really was just happenstance that his rocket landed here. They hoped some Earthlings would take their son in and treat him right, but they really didn't know for sure it would happen.

It was so easy to believe it was all part of some larger plan in hindsight. When you try and extend it forward though, it always falls apart. The past is always slipping away and the future never gets here. Mike Tyson once said 'Everybody's got plans... until they get hit.' Clark had just taken a haymaker. The dreams he'd had about a possible future had been shattered. Again he wasn't going to get the pretty girl and live happily ever after.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana sat at her desk putting the finishing touches on a memo to her staff from the coming week. It was just small things, hints and prompts to them to keep on top of certain matters. Being away from the Embassy, she still wanted to make sure it was running with the same efficiency and professionalism that she had set as a standard. Her job as Ambassador was important to her, as it was a reflection of the Amazons to the wider world.

With privilege also comes responsibility her mother had always stressed growing up. If she didn't care about the details as the Ambassador then her staff wouldn't either. An organization takes its cues from the person in charge. While her style might seem friendly and easygoing to some, those working for her understood that professionalism and attention to detail were both expected and demanded. She held herself to that high standard and asked for the same from her staff.

She sent the memo off and replied to several e-mails before deciding to take a break for some lunch. Kal had left very early and hadn't returned. Something was going on with him, but so far he hadn't told her what it was. Truthfully, it was one of the things about him that irritated her. Knowing him as she did, she saw just how stoic he could be. He tended to keep problems and worries to himself, not wanting to burden others. He masked it with a smile, but Diana was beginning to see through that.

Kal's stoic, cautious nature carried over to everything he did. His leadership style was directly opposed to her own. He would let everyone have their say, no matter how long it took before trying to come to some consensus on what they would do. This always seemed grindingly slow to Diana. Being raised as a warrior, she was used to the leaders forming a plan of attack and then relaying it to the troops. There was structure to her style and everyone knew his or her role. It was basic military streamlining of an operation for the maximum of efficiency.

Bruce seemed to understand it and agree with it, but not Kal. It was one of the ways her and Bruce were more alike than different. As two of the leaders of the Justice League they preferred to analyze the options for any given situation and then come up with a working plan. Once they had done this, they would share it with the rest. It should have worked well, except for two things.

One was that the Justice League wasn't a military unit. It could fight like one when the need arose, but for the most part it was a collection of individuals, hopelessly idiosyncratic in each of their own way. They were all used to making their own decisions and being in charge and rebelled almost on instinct against being given orders.

The other thing was Kal, Superman. Everyone just naturally looked to him as a leader, even more than they did to Bruce or herself. Others might be voted to run things, but when a crisis came up they always turned to him. From Diana's vantage point, Kal had all the natural qualities a leader needed accept one; he didn't see himself as a leader. He saw himself as just another member, a part of the team.

She knew it irritated Bruce as much as it did her that Kal's democratic, let everyone have their say style seemed to always carry the day. When she'd first met him, Diana had to admit she thought he was frustratingly indecisive. As time when on she started to see something else, though and had to reevaluate her first impression. He had no formal military training, yet an innate ability to get people to willingly follow him. What she'd first put down as caution was actually a deep concern that he was imposing his ideas on others.

With his powers, it would be so easy to impose himself on others. He seemed to instinctively know that's how tyrants are made. By letting everyone have their say, he was including them in the process. It brought those hopelessly individualistic members together behind a strategy they all felt they were apart of. Where it came from she didn't know, but he seemed to know what people needed.

That cautious nature she was realizing extended to everything in his life. Even their present situation he had to be dragged into by her. He was so good at hiding things, his thoughts, emotions and feelings that everyone bought into the simple picture of him as the small town guy, mild mannered and likable. The more time she spent with him, the more Diana was beginning to see the masks that he wore. She was starting to recognize that underneath that placid, cautious exterior there was another man. He was funny, smart and charming with deep passions and concerns.

Usually he never let anyone see that side of him, but she had. At the farm with Martha and Kara he let his guard down and his real self came out. She'd also seen it that night at dinner and then the nightclub. Even though they weren't talking about the kiss, she couldn't forget it. For that brief moment when their lips touched, they weren't Superman and Wonder Woman or even mild mannered reporter Clark Kent and Princess Diana, Ambassador from Themyscira, but a man and a woman.

Diana poured herself a glass of fruit juice and had to wonder about her situation. This had all started because of Bruce. He was such a mercurial man, so full of contradictions. She also knew he was a good man, a decent and caring man. That was what drew her to him in the first place and what still fascinated her about him. She'd started this to find the man under the mask and to prove something to herself. Amazingly enough she was finding out that Bruce wasn't the only one that wore a mask, you just didn't see Kal's at first.

The sound of the doorbell pulled her from her internal thoughts and she moved to answer it. Opening the door Diana was confronted by four young girls and one boy standing on her porch. They were dressed in various swimming attire, flotation devices and couldn't be more than five or six.

"Yes,' she said with a smile.

"Mrs. Kent,' the young girl, who seemed to be the leader asked.

"Yes, I'm Mrs. Kent."

"I'm Sally and I live down there,' the girl said, pointing down the street. "It's really hot and our slip-n-slide is broke."

"I'm sorry to hear that,' Diana replied.

'You got a pool, " the boy shouted.

"Tommy, shut up,' Sally told him. She turned back to Diana. 'We wanted to know if we could use your pool, Mrs. Kent. The last people that lived here wouldn't let us."

"They were old and mean,' one of the other girls added.

"And rich,' Tommy said.

"That's Tommy, my younger brother,' Sally explained. She rolled her eyes and made a face, before turning to the other young girls. "These are my friends, Britney, Tiffany and Ashley.'

Diana said hello to each of them.

"Are you a model? My dad said you must be; cause you're so beautiful and hot,' Ashley asked.

"And tall,' Tiffany added.

"Um, no,' Diana replied.

"Why not?"

"Is your husband a pro football player,' Tommy spoke up. "He's so big and you must be rich to live in a place like this. It would be so cool to have a pro football player living in our neighborhood!"

"If you're not a model, are you an actress,' Britney asked.

"If your husband's a pro football player, are you a cheerleader,' Tiffany said.

"I, ah, no, I'm not a model or an actress or a cheerleader,' Diana fumbled to answer as the questions came fast and continuous.

"My dad said he could have been a pro football player, but his high school coach didn't like him,' Tommy said.

"Your dad's too short to be a pro, Tommy,' Ashley countered.

"No he's not!"

"Is he as big as Mr. Kent,' Ashley asked. "You have to be a giant like he is to be a pro football player. Same goes for being a model, you have to be really, really, tall like Mrs. Kent."

"I'm not a model,' Diana repeated.

"Why not,' Sally asked. "You're really beautiful and tall enough."

"Um, thank you, but I have another job."

"If I was you, I'd be a model," Tiffany replied. "Pro football players always go for models."

"Models make lots of money, too,' Ashley added.

"So if you're not a model did you marry Mr. Kent for his money,' Britney asked. "Pro football players are rich!"

"Um, no, I didn't, ah, Mr. Kent isn't a football player,' Diana replied, starting to get a little overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.

"So can we use your pool,' Sally asked.

"I don't know, is it okay with your parents,' Diana asked.

"You're not going to be mean like the old people that used to live here, are you," Tommy asked.

"Our parents said it's okay if you said it was okay,' Sally replied.

"Well, I guess it's all right,' Diana said. Before she could finish the kids screamed with glee and raced by her into the house. "As long as you're careful. No running!"

Diana closed the door and followed them. By the time she reached the patio they were already jumping in the pool, laughing and shouting. Tommy was standing by the side watching the others.

"You can go in too, Tommy,' Diana said.

"He has to stay in the shallow end,' Sally shouted.

"I'm not that strong a swimmer,' Tommy informed Diana. "That's why I have to wear these water thingies."

"Water wings, Tommy,' Sally shouted. "It's so you don't drown in Mrs. Kent's pool!"

"I don't want to drown,' Tommy seriously said to Diana.

"No, I don't imagine you would,' Diana replied. She had to try hard not to smile. "I'll be right here if you get in trouble, Tommy. You can go in, just be careful."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent,' he said with a big grin and then did a cannonball into the pool. The resulting splash drenched Diana.

"Your welcome,' Tommy,' she said as she wiped the water from her eyes. Diana wanted to go inside and change, but she was nervous leaving the children alone. She didn't have much experience with children, well actually none, so she wanted to watch them closely. They seemed so small and fragile. Diana found herself pacing the side of the pool watching for the first sign of trouble.

While he wasn't a strong swimmer as he said, Tommy did seemed to have mastered the art of making a big splash. Again and again he would climb out of the pool only to jump back in. One time when he went under, Diana was sure he wasn't coming back up. She kicked off her shoes and was just about to jump in when he finally surfaced.

The four girls weren't any better. They took turns dunking each other or seeing who could hold their breath the longest underwater. They seemed to be having a wonderful time, screaming and laughing, but Diana was on pins and needles. Her clothes eventually dried, but her nervousness grew. She moved all around the pool watching for the first sign of trouble, horrified at the thought of something might happen to one of them. If the kids noticed her concern they didn't show it and continued to have a wonderful time of things.

This was the scene that greeted Clark when he got back. The sounds of shouting and laughter reached his ears as he opened the front door. Even in his rather melancholy mood his curiosity was peaked. He walked into the living room and stood there watching the scene at the pool. He had to smile as he saw Diana hovering all around the kids constantly reminding them to be careful. That they were completely ignoring her made his smile grow.

He slowly walked out onto the patio and just stood there. Diana was so preoccupied with the kids she didn't even see him at first.

"Hi, Mr. Kent,' the girls shouted.

"How was practice,' Tommy added.

"Great,' Clark replied, not sure what that was about.

"Thank Heaven's you're home, Kal,' Diana said as she walked over to him. "I'm an emotional wreck watching them."

"They're just kids, Diana,' he said. 'They look like they're having a ball."

"That's easy for you to say, you haven't been monitoring them to make sure no one drowns and slips and cuts their head open,' Diana explained. "They're so small, any number of things could happen to them."

"Now that your husband's home, why don't you come in Mrs. Kent instead of standing on the side,' Sally shouted.

"Thank you, but I don't think so," Diana replied.

"Don't you know how to swim?"

"Yes, I know how to swim."

"You can borrow my water wings if you want, Mrs. Kent,' Tommy said. "I'll stay in the shallow end."

"That's very kind of you, Tommy, but I don't think so,' Diana said to him.

"I don't think she knows how to swim,' Tiffany offered.

"Why doesn't your wife know how to swim, Mr. Kent,' Ashley said. "Models are always doing fashion shoots in bikinis by the beach. They must learn to swim during those."

"She does winter fashion shoots mostly,' Clark replied with a smile. "You know, parkas and boots, that sort of thing."

"Kal, don't encourage them,' Diana firmly said to him. "I've already told them I'm not a model, they just don't seem to believe me."

Tommy had gotten out of the pool and came over to Diana and Clark. He pulled off his water wings and held them out to Diana.

"Here you go, Mrs. Kent,' he said. "If you stay in the shallow end they will help you float. I wanted to hear about pro football from Mr. Kent anyway."

"Tommy, that's very kind of you, but like I said, I'm a very good swimmer,' Diana replied, leaning down towards the boy. "You keep those."

'If you're a good swimmer, why aren't you swimming," Tommy asked. Clark had been smiling the whole time, enjoying this. A mischievous smile came to his face as he heard Tommy's words.

"That's a good point," Clark said, and then gave Diana a small push. She had been standing close to the edge and was caught off guard. She started to shout his name, but her hitting the water cut it off. The four little girls screamed and squealed in delight as they saw this. Diana went under, but then righted herself. She slowly rose out of the water, soaked and glaring at Clark. The water came up to her chest and as she brushed her long, soaked hair from her face, her eyes practically burned a hole into him.

"Kal!" She growled.

'Remember there are children around, Diana,' he offered with a grin. She sputtered, censoring herself and finally just shouted in frustration. Clark was standing on the edge and couldn't hold the laughter back anymore. He didn't even see Tommy come up behind him.

"You should swim too, Mr. Kent."

In Clark went and as he came up, Diana was standing right in front of him smiling.

"Why that little …" Clark started to say, but Diana cut him off.

"Children, Kal, remember there are children present."

It was Diana's turn to laugh. The girls joined her as they watched Clark glanced down at his now soaked clothes.

"I got you Mr. Kent, I got you,' Tommy happily shouted.

"Yeah, yeah you did," Clark admitted as he made his way towards the side.

"Do you want to borrow my water wings?"


	19. Chapter 19

Currents

"Change in my pocket."

Gotham

Bruce was hungry. Usually when he woke up Alfred was already there with something, but not today. Slipping on a robe, he made his way downstairs towards the kitchen. As he opened the door he heard laughter. Zatanna was sitting with Alfred.

"You here again,' he said to her.

Alfred and Zee turned towards him as he walked in.

"Wow, not a morning or in this case afternoon person, are you, Bruce,' Zee replied.

"If you think I'm taking you to lunch again, forget it,' Bruce said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"See, Alfred? That's just what I was talking about. He always thinks everything is about him,' Zee offered to the older man. "Talk about an egotist."

"Well, why are you here than,' Bruce asked. He was a little irritated by her implication.

"You are not the only person that lives here, Bruce,' she explained. "I wanted to thank Alfred for the other day. I've known him as long as I've known you, remember? Jeez, you really need to get over yourself."

"You came to see Alfred,' he replied, a little surprised by this.

"Yes, is that a problem? Can't he have friends stop by,' she asked. "Just because you're anti-social doesn't mean everyone is. It's like he's making my point for me, Alfred."

"I do see what you mean, Miss Zatara,' Alfred replied.

"Don't let it bother you, I know you tried to teach him manners when he was young,' Zee said to the older man.

'Perhaps I should have been harder on him, I admit, but I thought I could teach by example."

"I know you did your best,' Zee offered, reaching over and patting the older man on the hand.

"Thank you."

Bruce stood there with a cup of coffee in his hand taking this all in.

"Well, isn't this lovely,' he remarked. "Don't let the fact that I'm standing right here stop you two. Is there anything to eat, Alfred?"

"Yes, I believe there is still some bacon and eggs from early,' Alfred replied. "I made some for Miss Zatara and myself, but I can heat up what's left."

"So you got another meal out of him,' Bruce said to Zee as he sat down.

"Some people actually enjoy my company,' she replied.

"Very much, Miss, it's quite the change from the usual,' Alfred added.

"Thank you, Alfred,' she said with a smile.

"Could you two 'buddies' tone it down a bit, I'm still waking up,' Bruce snidely remarked.

"There it is again, Alfred,' Zee said. "Just no manners at all."

"I'm afraid it's too late to change it, Miss,' Alfred replied.

"I can see this is going to be a lovely morning,' Bruce grumbled as he took a sip of his coffee.

* * *

Themyscira

Queen Hippolyta and General Phillipus sat looking over a package the Embassy had sent down about the suburbs. They knew they couldn't wear their usually attire and wanted to find something that would blend in. As the Queen looked at photos of some of the people from the area Diana was living in, the General was leafing through a catalog. There was a look of consternation on Hippolyta's face.

"I know I'm supposed to say that all women are sisters and we should have solidarity,' the Queen began. "But some of the outfits these women have on make them look like whores. I mean look at this one, if her pants were any lower they would be leggings."

"According to this catalog, those are called hip-huggers,' the General explained.

"Does it explain why you can see her underwear,' the Queen asked.

"Um, no, I haven't found anything to explain that."

The Queen shook her head as she looked at more pictures.

"Perhaps they are celebrating a holiday early,' the General offered.

"What holiday would you dress like that for?"

"Well, this catalog has clothing for every season. There is a holiday in the fall called Halloween, which is apparently a celebration of sluts."

"Sluts,' Hippolyta repeated, not sure she heard the Phillipus right.

"Yes, it seems they celebrate sluts in every profession,' the Phillipus replied. She held out the catalog for Hippolyta. "You see the women are of different professions but each has the word slutty before their title."

"Slutty nurse, slutty policewoman, slutty nanny,' Hippolyta read. She shook her head again and looked at the General. "It seems the world has changed much more than I thought since we were last in it."

"Truly."

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah sat in the cafeteria going over the latest information Barbara had sent about the motorcycle gang, The Lost Souls. Every time she thought about what they'd done a fire seemed to burn through her to make sure it never happened again. It seemed far from heeding her warning; they were bringing in more members. Well, if it's a fight they want it was a fight she would give them.

The sound of a squeaky wheel suddenly caught her attention and then the most horrible smell assaulted her senses. It was like someone had taken an old tire, filled it with horse manure and then lit it on fire.

"Heaven help me,' Dinah gasp as she looked up to see Plastic Man roll up to her table. He was a unicycle with a bell and honk attached.

"The sewage treatment plant is all clear, El Jefe!" he proudly announced.

"The what,' she gasped, covering her mouth and nose with her hand.

'Metropolis. The sewage treatment plant. My latest assignment,' Plastic Man said and then honked his horn. "I checked out every part of it just like your e-mail told me too. I even found twenty dollars! A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

"What are you talking about,' she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You e-mail boss, the assignment you sent me!"

"I didn't send you any assignment,' she replied. "Jesus, could you just move back like ten feet, I can't take it."

"Well, you e-mail said to be thorough."

""What e-mail,' she gasped. Dinah turned to the side, taking a couple of breaths. "I didn't send you any e-mail, you imbecile!"

"You didn't?"

'No. Jeez, go take a shower or at least hose yourself off."

They both heard a chuckle from another table and turned to see Wally smile and raise his glass.

'We're even, buddy!"

He got up and disappeared from the room before they could say anything.

"Oh, that's rich, that's rich,' Plastic Man laughed. "He got me, fair and square; he got me good with this one! A-ring-a-ding-ding-Ding!"

"I think I'm going to be sick,' Dinah said, holding her hand over her mouth.

"So boss, do you at least want the twenty?'

Dinah felt herself gag as she imagined where the twenty had been. She violently shook her head and just pointed towards the door. Plastic Man turned on his wheel and looked at it.

"What? Is someone coming in?"

"Get out!"

"Aye-Aye, captain! I'll just leave the twenty here in case you change your mind."

Plastic Man set the bill on the table in front of Diana and then moved back. He turned and honked his horn as he wheeled himself out of the cafeteria. When he was finally gone, Dinah took several deep breaths. Using a napkin, she pushed the twenty as far away from her as possible.

"I hate that guy!"

* * *

Gotham Heights

The group of worshippers had just finished. Cubby walked around with a laundry bag collecting everyone's bloody robes. He was still wearing the pointy hat.

"Good work in there people, good work,' he said. "I think we really showed there is no I in team today. That was a ceremony any Satan worshipper could be proud of."

"How's the eye, Ted,' Dottie asked.

"I think it's going to swell shut,' he replied.

"You're lucky, I thought that goat was going to take it out when it kicked you,' Carl offered.

"Well, it feels like it did."

"Here's some ice, Ted,' LuAnn said, handing him an ice bag. "There's cake if you feel up to it."

"I could eat something,' Ted admitted.

"Well the good news, folks is we did it,' Cubby stated. "We sacrificed that goat just as the book said to. So it's only a matter of time before we start seeing the results. As an added bonus, I've got a spit all set up in the backyard for the barbeque, so the goat isn't going to waste!"

"Oh, yes, that reminds me, everyone the new couple, Clark and his wife, from across the street are going to be at the barbeque,' LuAnn said. "Some of the other neighbors will be there too."

"The model's going to be there,' Ted asked.

"Yes."

"Well, that is good news." A smile crossed his face as he held the ice pack to his eye.

"Remember to bring your appetite's cause there's going to be plenty of food,' Cubby said. 'Oh, Betty, dear, you have a little blood in your hair there."

"Thanks Cubby, I must have missed that,' she replied. "I get so caught up in the ceremony, you know."

"It is exciting," Jenny admitted. "And this time I wasn't even high on the pot."

"Oh, I was,' Betty stated.

"Yeah, me too," Dottie added. Several others nodded in agreement.

* * *

The Watchtower

It was Diana's turn to work a shift and it felt good to be active again. She always felt comfortable on the station. It had been her first home when she arrived in the Man's world so it always held a special place for her. It had served as a bridge while she got acclaimed with all the changes. As she rounded the corner, she ran into Batman as he was heading into one of the small computer rooms.

"Congratulations, Diana, one week, I didn't think you'd make it,' he said to her. Diana was in a very good, almost a playful mood and decided it might be fun to challenge Bruce a little bit.

"So are you admitting you were wrong, Bruce,' she asked.

"No, just that you're more determined than I expected."

"Part of my training was to learn to adapt," Diana said.

"The suburbs are hardly the battlefield, Diana,' Bruce replied.

"No, but the principals are the same. Why is it so hard for you to believe I can do this, Bruce? Surely by now you can see I will win,' she asked.

"It's been a little over a week, Diana,' Bruce replied. "You're only a quarter of the way there, a lot can happen in that time."

He walked into the computer room but she followed not wanting to let it go.

"This is some kind of test, isn't it,' she asked.

"Why do you say that?"

"Why do you answer a question with a question, Bruce?"

He gave her a small smile as he pushed back his cowl and sat down at the computer. She had to admit he was a handsome man, but he was always sending such mixed signals.

"Different worlds, Princess,' he replied, but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I've heard that before and I've been thinking about it," Diana offered with a smile. "Your two worlds theory implies that I wouldn't fit in your world, but who said I had to? Why wouldn't it be that you would have to fit in my world, Bruce?"

"A world of wealth and privilege? I grew up in that world, Princess."

"Yes, that's true,' Diana said, moving along the front of the computer station until she was right in front of him. "But again, that is still your world, Gotham. I've seen you playboy cover and how you make the papers with your latest young female conquests. My world is in Washington, Bruce, Embassies and diplomatic events. In my world it would be my name that came first and you would be my latest conquest."

"Oh really,' he replied, a little surprised by her.

"Absolutely,' Diana affirmed. "So you see it's still in question whether you could fit in that world. Can you picture yourself being number two, Bruce?"

There was definitely a challenge in her tone, he realized. This was a side of Diana he hadn't seen before, an almost mischievous side.

"Since you aren't going to win, I guess we'll never know."

Diana leaned forward over the computer with a rather tempting smile on her face.

"Care to bet on it, Bruce?"

Leaning back, Bruce raised an eyebrow and couldn't help smiling.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark had the house to himself. He'd finished up some of his prep work for the Zatanna interview and really had nothing else to do. As walked into the living room, he couldn't help noticing that Diana had straightened it up before she left. The phrase, a place for everything and everything in its place came to mind as he looked around the room.

If he'd learned one thing about Diana since they'd been living together it was that she liked things a certain way, a very specific certain way. He wasn't exactly sloppy either, but she took it to a different level. It seemed she was a woman of strong opinions on just about everything. He knew it was juvenile, but he couldn't resist moving a couple of the items on the table just slightly. He smiled as he pictured her walking into the room and immediately putting them right back the way they were before.

He grabbed a Coke out of the refrigerator and walked out onto the deck. For a moment he just closed his eyes and soaked up the sun. He always felt connected to it, not just because of his powers. It was one of the differences between most of his teammates and him. They grew up in the city for the most part and had an urban sensibility. Cities ran on clocks and schedules. It was an artificial, man-made rhythm that rarely took into account the changes in nature.

Clark had grown up on a farm, a rural agrarian sensibility. Life was regulated by the seasons and the weather. Your day started at sun up and ended at sun down. It had a completely different rhythm to it than the city did.

He'd read somewhere that when mass, universal public education started in the late nineteen century it was the captains of industry that were some of it's biggest proponents. For them it was a very practical matter of teaching the new arrivals from the farm how to fit into the mechanized world of the Industrial Revolution. The first thing schools taught was how to tell time. Bells were used to get the new workers used to the factory whistle. Reading and math skills, at least the basics were taught so the new workers could follow written directions and do simple calculations. Desks were all in rows almost like an assembly line. If you go to a preschool or kindergarten class at the beginning of the school year even today you can still see the remnants of the schools original purpose.

While he'd lived most of his adult life in Metropolis, that natural rhythm of the farm was still deeply ingrained in him. It was a slower, more relaxed lifestyle. It was still full of constant worries, but everything was tied to the rhythm of nature.

As he stood there enjoying the sun on his face, Clark thought about taking a swim, but he'd already swam more laps than he could count this morning. His eyes drifted over to the Jacuzzi. Neither of them had used it yet. He checked the controls to see just how hot he could get it and smiled. Since he had the house to himself, a hot soak sounded perfect.

He went upstairs to change into his swimsuit, just in case Diana came back before he was done. As he was about to leave the bedroom, he saw the book she'd been reading. He remembered her asking to borrow it and went over to see what it was. The Lines Shift was the title and for the life of him he couldn't remember it. He turned it over but the back blurb didn't ring a bell. He decided to read a little while he soaked to see if it came back to him.

Checking the temperature as he came out onto the patio a smile crossed Clark's lips. He slipped off his robe and eased himself into the very hot water.

"Oh, that's perfect" he said aloud. He could actually feel the heat even through his skin. He settled back, getting comfortable and then reach for the book. He wasn't planning on reading it all, just refreshing his memory so he started where Diana had put her bookmark.

_Prefect Castor hung up the phone with a deeply worried look on his face. The Central Committee had taken notice of the murders and was concerned. In the battle for the hearts and minds of the citizens, this was just the sort of thing to sway them. If the Revolution couldn't offer basic protection against such horrible crimes, the citizens would start to look elsewhere. The Central Committee made it very clear they wanted these murders solved and quickly._

_The pressure was squarely on Prefect Castor's shoulders._

_He pressed the intercom and his secretary's voice came on immediately._

"_Yes, Friend-Perfect?"_

"_Has Friend-Sergeant Booker and his chief suspect returned?"_

"_Yes, he is interrogating him as we speak. He believes he will have a confession soon."_

"_Have them both come to my office, please."_

"_Right away, Friend-Prefect."_

_Castor flicked off the intercom and opened the file again. This case troubled him deeply. It wasn't just the pressure from the Central Committee, but the facts themselves. These murders happened in highly populated areas of the Capital, yet there were no witnesses. The violence of the killer was far more than the usual. The coroner's point that the cuts were made by a skilled hand also troubled Castor. If there was a monster on the loose like Castor believed, his security forces were ill equipped to handle it. For the most part they were thugs, foot soldiers or Party members. For the ordinary, everyday crime and keeping order they were fine, but this case needed a skilled mind to solve it. Castor knew it was beyond his men's ability and probably beyond his own. He needed results, real results and quickly._

_There was a knock on the door and he called to enter. Sergeant Booker hauled in a little old man and thrust him into the chair in front of Prefect Castor's desk. It was obvious the man had been beaten rather badly._

"_Good news, Friend-Prefect, the suspect has just confessed,' Booker announced._

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yes, tell him,' Booker replied, and then roughly nudged the old man._

"_I-I-I did it. I-I kill-kill those girls,' the man managed to say._

"_I see,' Castor said, glancing down at the file. "Why did you cut off their fingers?"_

_The old man wasn't prepared for this question. He would admit to anything to stop the beating, but details were something else._

"_Answer Friend-Prefect,' Booker shouted._

"_I-I, um, ah, souvenirs?"_

_Castor looked at the man for a moment and then nodded his head._

"_Have him returned to his cell, Sergeant, but stay for a moment, please."_

_Booker opened the door and signaled two of his men. They came in and dragged the old man away._

"_Close the door, please,' Castor said._

_Booker did as he was told and stood waiting to hear congratulations on solving the case._

"_He didn't do it, you know that don't you,' Castor asked._

"_He confessed to it, Friend-Prefect."_

"_After some persuading yes. You saw the bodies, Sergeant, the fingers weren't missing," Castor said. "I would imagine the murderer would know that."_

"_He confessed, Friend-Prefect,' Booker repeated._

"_Yes, hold him for now, but you should know the real killer will strike again. It seems we have a serial killer on our hands, Friend-Sergeant."_

"_He confessed."_

"_Thank you, Friend-Sergeant, that will be all,' Castor said, dismissing the man. The sergeant didn't know what to do; this hadn't gone the way he expected. He stood there for a moment, but then nodded and left the office. After the door closed, Castor got up and went over to his files. The file he wanted was right in the front. Avignon, he was the man to solve this case. The problem was getting him to do it._

_

* * *

_

Themysciran Embassy

There was an excitement in the air as Queen Hippolyta and General Phillipus came through the portal. Maya, the Amazon filling in for Diana while she was away, was waiting for them and bowed to her Queen.

"Welcome to the Embassy, you Majesty."

"Thank you, Maya, but let's not stand on ceremony today,' Hippolyta said. "The General and I are just passing through. Is our car ready?"

"Yes, my Queen, everything is prepared,' Maya replied. "If I may, I would still feel better if we let the Princess know you were coming."

"Where would the fun be in that,' Hippolyta said with a smile. "No, I think surprising my daughter is the best thing."

"As you wish, my Queen,' Maya answer. "We have the clothes you request. They are laid out in the royal suite waiting for you."

"Excellent, we will change and be on our way."

"As you wish, my Queen."

* * *

The Watchtower

There was an extra spring in Diana's step as she entered the cafeteria. Her little verbal joust with Bruce had only added to her good mood. As she got herself a cup of coffee, she saw Wally waving her over. Smiling, Diana went over and sat down at the table with Wally, Shayera and Mari.

"Long time no see, Diana,' Wally said.

"Yes, it doesn't seem like I haven't been here in a while,' she admitted.

"So how's married life?"

"Fine."

"Good, good, so have you seen each other naked yet,' Wally asked.

"Wally!" Shayera shouted. "What is it with you and wanting to know if they've seen each other naked?"

"Curiosity."

"So have you,' Mari asked. Shayera gave her a look now.

"No, of course not,' Diana replied.

"Aw, that's too bad,' Wally offered.

"No, it's not,' Shayera said to him.

"Well, at least it's some good news for Zee,' Mari said with a laugh. "She could probably use it after the incident."

"Why would it be good news for Zatanna,' Diana asked. "Where is she, by the way? She's usually right here with you three and Dinah."

"You mean you haven't heard, I thought everybody had heard by now,' Wally asked.

"Heard what?"

"Zee kind of blurted out something she didn't want anyone to know," Shayera said. "It was rather embarrassing. I think she's lying low for awhile."

"What did she blurt out,' Diana asked, interested in this.

"You really don't know," Shayera asked.

"No, what?"

The other three looked at each other, not sure what to say. Of course, Wally took a stab at it.

"Zee was hot for Superman and wanted to go out with him.'

"Wh-What,' Diana said.

"She wanted to jump Clark's bones, "Wally said louder. "Boy you super types really have problems with your hearing sometimes. You should have Ray check that."

"It isn't like that, Diana,' Shayera quickly spoke up.

"She wasn't interested in going out with Kal?"

"Well, no, she was, but she decided with Lois and everything it was more trouble than it was worth,' Shayera admitted. "We were teasing her about it and she kind of blurted out to everyone that she didn't want to date Superman anymore because it was too hard."

"So she's not interested anymore,' Diana asked.

'Well with him already dating Lois, never mind sort of being married to you, it seemed way too complicated,' Shayera said. "Zee would never make a move if she thought he was already with someone."

"She just thought he seemed like a nice, handsome guy and was interested in a date, that's all, Diana,' Mari added.

"Oh, I see."

"You know it's been a whole week, how come you haven't seen each other naked yet,' Wally asked. Shayera reached over and smacked him.

* * *

The Watchtower – Transporter

Dinah came in and walked towards the transporter pad.

"Gotham, Jonn."

"Of course, Dinah."

"Hold up a minute,' Batman said as he entered the room. He walked over and climbed up on the transporter pad next to Dinah.

"You're going Gotham,' he asked.

"Yes."

"Is this about that motorcycle gang?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Are you still determined to fight them all,' he asked.

"It's personal, Bruce,' she replied. "I know Gotham is 'your city' and all, but I'm doing this."

"What is it with women and attitude today,' he grumbled. "I've been getting it everywhere I go."

"Bruce, they attacked a women's shelter and badly injured someone that I said I would protect. Now they are bringing in more members,' Dinah said. "I'm not going to let them hurt her again."

"I read the reports from Oracle too, Dinah."

"Then you know not to get in my way."

"I wasn't," Bruce replied. "I was going to offer to help."

"Wh-What,' Dinah stammered, not quite believing what she'd heard.

"You said it earlier, Gotham's my town,' he stated. "I'm not going to allow them or anyone else to attack innocent people. Besides, I think you could use the help."

"All right,' Dinah agreed.

"Two to beam down, Jonn."

'Wait,' Dinah suddenly shouted. "Jonn use the internal sensors for me please."

"What am I looking for, Dinah?"

"Locate Plastic Man,' she replied.

Jonn worked the controls and then looked over at the transporter pad.

"He's right here, well, actually, you're standing on him, Dinah."

A growl came from her lips as she stepped to the side.

"Get-Off-The-Platform-Now!"

There was a moment of silence and then Plastic Man oozed off the platform and moved across the room.

"Okay, now transport us, Jonn." She watched Plastic Man slither across the floor towards Jonn.

"I hate that guy,' she grumbled under her breath.

As they disappeared Plastic Man transformed into a coat rack. He leaned into Jonn and whispered. "I think she's coming around."

"I believe you're mistake,' Jonn replied.

"Call me crazy, but I think she's starting to like me! A-ring-a-ding-ding-Ding!"

"You are crazy."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Hippolyta and General Phillipus sat in the back of the limo looking out at the houses as they drove through the suburbs.

"Are you sure this is the right place,' Hippolyta asked. "All the buildings look the same."

"Yes, your Majesty, I'm sure,' the driver replied. "Are you sure we shouldn't contact the Princess and let her know you are coming?"

"No."

"How much further is it,' Phillipus asked.

"Just a few blocks, General."

"I can't wait to see Diana's face when we arrive,' Hippolyta whispered with a smile.

* * *

Gotham

Zatanna had been having a wonderful day. It seemed the publicity and her fame had created quite a stir in the city. The fact that she was in the paper photographed with Bruce Wayne hadn't hurt either. Invitations had been coming in all day for her. She'd just come back from a luncheon with some of the leading citizens of Gotham and there was a dinner party later. Things were definitely turning around for her.

She walked into the empty theater to check on her props and pick up a number from her dressing room. She didn't mind, liking having this time alone to go over everything before the crew arrived. She was a professional and made sure first-hand everything was as it should be. She gave her equipment the once over and was just about to head to her dressing room when a voice called out from the darkened empty theater.

"Well, well, well, hanging out with the swells. Ain't you gone high-class, Zee."

She turned and saw a match strike and then move up to light a cigarette. Silk Cut was the brand, as he never smoked anything else.

"What are you doing here?"

Her tone indicated she was not happy.

"Can't an old friend just pop in to say hi?"

"Not you, so why are you really here, Constantine," she asked.

He stepped into the light and there was a smile on his face. John Constantine took a hit off his cigarette and looked at her. He was wearing is usual attire, a grungy trench coat, white shirt and black tie.

"I just wanted to see you, love."

"Sure you did," she sarcastically replied. Zatanna crossed her arms in front of her and stood tapping her foot in irritation as she looked at him.

"You wound me,' he replied. "Here I come all this way to see you and this is the thanks I get."

"What do you want, money? I'm not giving you any and I'm not getting involved in any of your stupid problems,' she fired back.

"What if I just want to take you to dinner,' he said with a smile. "I'll even pay."

She couldn't help smiling at this.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

* * *

Gotham Heights

The steam swirled off the Jacuzzi as Clark relaxed and continued reading.

_Prefect Castor moved through the marketplace. The refugees and citizens all recognized him and his uniform. They gave him a wide berth. He was here under the canvas looking for a man, Avignon._

_They had known each other since the beginning of the Revolution. They were University students together and had joined the cause at the same time. They had been part of the vanguard and fought for a glorious revolution together. Avignon was brilliant, of that Castor had no doubt. He could have had any rank or position he wanted, but he chose to remain on the front lines and fight for the cause. They had drifted apart as the war dragged on and Castor began to rise through the ranks and into the government._

_They had a falling out over a woman. That was also the beginning of Avignon's disillusionment. After the Fanatics or Black attacked the Capital and the Red and White made their agreement, Avignon quit the party. He had been in the Capital the whole time and witnessed the brutality of all sides. He should have been executed for quitting, but the Provisional Government needed men that could fix things and Avignon was one of those men._

_He kept the lights on and the government turned a blind eye to him. As Castor moved through the crowd he couldn't help but feel a sense of irony that this case brought him back to Avignon. Their falling out had involved another murder and the woman accused of it, Asha._

_Just the memory of her took Castor's breath away. She was so beautiful and elegant, of royal blood. The Central Committee wanted to make an example of her to prove to the people all of the Loyalist or Whites were the same. Avignon had stepped in and taken her case. It was meant to be a show trial, but he didn't see it that way. He believed she was innocent of the crime and set out to prove it. Castor had tried to tell him it really didn't matter if she was innocent or not, she was guilty._

_That was the day Avignon quit the party. He had dreamed of changing the world, but found the new bosses were the same as the old. Somehow he had got her off, but the damage was already done. Months spent in the worst prison cells in the Capital and destroyed her health. TB was rampant in the prison and she wasn't spared._

_Castor knew Avignon was in love with her, but his guilt wouldn't let him act on it. The last time Castor had heard about them, they were living with a former Fanatic named Sasha in the partially destroyed Royal Library. Now Castor needed Avignon again and murder was at the core of it._

_As he rounded the corner careful to stay under the cover of the tarps, he spotted him. He looked a little thinner, but still the same. Tall, with a heavy coat pulled up around his unshaven cheeks, those penetrating blue eyes couldn't be mistaken. As Castor slowly made his way towards him, Avignon seemed to sense him and stiffened. He turned and looked at Castor._

"_What are you doing here, Castor,' Avignon asked. There was no warmth in his voice._

"_The Revolution needs you, Friend-Avignon,' Castor began, but was cut off._

"_I'm not your or the Revolution's friend anymore, Castor."_

"_Be that as it may, you are needed, Avignon."_

_

* * *

_

The sound of the doorbell pulled Clark from the book. He set it down and stretched feeling wonderful. The hot water had been perfect and he was even sweating. As he climbed out of the Jacuzzi, he quickly wiped himself off and slipped on his robe. The doorbell rang again and it was times like this he wished he could use his X-ray vision. He was going to play by the rules though, so he didn't. Clark figured it was probably just the neighborhood kids wanting to use the pool again. With a smile and still sweating, he left the robe open and went to the door.

"Couldn't get enough, huh,' he started to say as he opened the door. Standing there was Queen Hippolyta and General Phillipus. They looked at him, taking in his lack of clothes, the fact that he was sweating and the Queen gritted her teeth in anger.

"General, your sword!"

Clark held out his hands towards them as he took a step back.

"Hold it, hold it, I can explain!"


	20. Chapter 20

Everyday

"What's so funny bout peace, love and understanding"

Gotham Heights

Proactive versus Reactive

We all like to believe we are proactive, that we are take charge of our lives type of people. It fits well with how we like to see ourselves. No one wants to think they are some passive worker bee just reacting to whatever comes their way.

The problem is this is business seminar, support group speak. It goes along with phrases like brainstorming, risk assessment, defining goals and owning your feelings. In the nice, neat structured world of flow charts and production graphs they seemed to bring a sense of order, a good model or framework for what you're trying to accomplish. Be Proactive, it sounds good and has become popular. There's a growth industry for motivational speakers all telling you to take charge of your life, tap that inner power and transform yourself. Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Dr. Phil have made millions.

So there you are taking charge of your life, being proactive about your health by only buying fresh, organic foods from the local farmer's market and then someone, who thinks they are pressing the brake when they are pressing the gas, comes plowing into you. Go ahead, be proactive as Grandpa's bumper knocks you into the stack of watermelons and then runs over you.

Being Reactive is bad, passive; unproductive this mind set tells us. Being labeled reactive isn't a compliment to anyone, even a hero, yet don't most of us spend the better part of our day and life reacting to situations? It isn't how proactive we are when the woman we thought we were in love with breaks up with us; it's how we react that says what sort of person we are.

Life doesn't run on a set script, it's random, always changing, constantly knocking you down when you least expect it. The character of a person is defined by how they get back up, how they react.

Use the example of a hero confronted by two powerful, angry women, one wielding a sword. A proactive hero would act before they did, disarm the women and incapacitate them. Now add a few more details to the example. The women are the mother and mentor of your pretend wife. You have opened the door to them, half naked and sweating. Unfortunately, you've also used the phrase,' you couldn't get enough'. They wrongly, jump to the conclusion you have taken advantage of said pretend wife. You are innocent, but they are very angry.

Private lives tend to be messy, even for heroes. Their jobs are straightforward. Being proactive is easy in the face of an alien invasion or a super villain. It's like the world of the flow chart; everything is defined and neatly laid out. Good versus evil, right versus wrong. It's when they aren't being heroes that things get complicated. Like the rest of us, they are groping and struggling through life trying to make the best of it. They are reactive just like us in the face of the unknown and unexpected.

* * *

Making the feeble gesture to pull his robe tighter around him, Clark moved backwards into the living room. The two women slammed the door shut and advanced towards him. Hippolyta and Phillipus were clearly upset and out for blood. Clark could only imagine what was going through their minds at that moment and he was pretty sure he wasn't being cast in the best light. The sword pointed dangerously at his midsection was a good indication of that.

"Easy with the sword, General,' he said as calmly as possible. "This is all a big misunderstanding, I swear to you."

"Where is my daughter, Kryptonian,' Queen Hippolyta demanded. The thought that he might have taken advantage of her precious daughter was almost too much for Hippolyta to stand. In the moment she didn't care if he was Zeus himself, she would make him pay somehow for defiling her little moon and stars.

"She's not here, she had a shift on the Watchtower today,' Clark explained. "So you see it's not what you think."

He knew that even as angry as they both were, he could easily disarm them but that would just complicate matters more. His life had enough complications at the moment; he didn't need any new ones.

"Why are you half naked and sweating then,' Phillipus asked. She kept the sword pointed somewhere around his waist. At least, he hoped it was his waist.

"I wasn't really expecting guests so I was in the Jacuzzi."

He could see by their reactions they didn't know what a Jacuzzi was.

"Hot tub, I was in a hot tub,' he said, pointing out towards the patio. The two women looked where he was pointing and saw the steam coming off the Jacuzzi.

"Diana is really not here,' Hippolyta asked, still weary of him.

"No, and now if you'd put away that sword, perhaps we could talk about this?"

She was reluctantly to do it, but finally nodded to the General. Phillipus lowered the sword.

"Thank you, It is starting to get old having weapons drawn on me every time I see you, your Majesty."

"Are you trying to be funny, Kryptonian,' Hippolyta asked. "Is that really what you are doing?"

"Would you prefer I get angry,' Clark asked. "It wouldn't be that hard, believe me, I've had one of those weeks."

"No,' Hippolyta admitted. She was aware of just how powerful he was and now that her temper was in check again, the thought of him angry wasn't something she relished. "I apologize if I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"I guess I can understand," Clark offered. "I know how protective of Diana you are."

"I'm her mother."

"My mother would do the same thing. Well, probably a shotgun not with a sword, but her reaction would be similar,' Clark said.

"Again, I apologize, Superman.'

"Thank you," Clark replied. "Um, General, the sword? Do you mind?"

"Oh, yes, of course,' Phillipus said as she put it away.

"Thanks, oh, by the way, it isn't a magical sword, is it,' Clark asked.

"No, it isn't."

"Yeah, kind of useless against me, but I appreciate you putting it away."

"We thought you had broken your word, Kryptonian,' Hippolyta explained. "My apologies. You haven't broken you promise, have you?"

"No! No, no, no, ma'am, I haven't," Clark quickly said. "I wouldn't, ever. I swear."

"Good."

Some of the tension eased, but they were all still on edge.

"Um, ah well, I guess I should say, welcome,' Clark offered. "Did Diana know you were coming?

"No, we wanted to surprise her,' Hippolyta said. "Well, both of you."

"I was surprised, really surprised,' Clark admitted.

The General was taking in the room, letting her eyes move over the furnishings and decor.

"This is quite a lovely home, Kryptonian,' General Phillipus offered, as she gazed around the living room.

"Thank you, but I can't take credit for it, Diana really picked everything out."

"Diana did this,' Hippolyta asked, taking in the room for the first time. She moved over to one of the side tables and stood for a moment just looking at it. Reaching down, Hippolyta adjusted two of the items and then gave a satisfied nod. Clark gave a little smile at this, but quickly wiped it from his lips.

"It seems the Princess has an eye for decorating," Phillipus offered.

"Yes, yes she does,' Hippolyta replied, a smile of pride coming to her lips. The two women continued around the room looking at everything. Clark watched this and was about to offer them a tour of the place, but then remembered there was only one bedroom. He decided to leave that for Diana when she got back.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll change,' he said.

"Yes, please,' Hippolyta replied.

Clark was just about to head upstairs when he registered what they were wearing.

"Um, are you, ah, well, trying something new with your wardrobe,' he diplomatically asked.

'Yes, we wanted to blend in,' Phillipus replied. Several comments passed through his mind, but he wisely kept them to himself.

"Um, ah, aces,' he weakly said and gave them the thumb's up. Aces? Clark shook his head as he turned and walked up the steps. Jeez, now I'm talking like Kara, he mused.

* * *

When he was upstairs, curiosity got the better of Hippolyta and Phillipus. They began to explore. The Queen ran her fingers over the fabric of the couch, impressed.

"It seems my daughter has talents we didn't know of."

"Yes, I don't remember her ever expressing any interest in design back home,' the General offered.

"Well, she was always artistic as a child,' Hippolyta countered. "I like to think she got her good taste from me."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Don't be obtuse, Phillipus, I have always had an eye for the arts and the finer things in life and apparently so does my daughter,' Hippolyta explained. "Although, I would move just a few of these things, they don't seem to be in the right place."

The Queen shifted several of the smaller items and then smile in satisfaction.

"Much better."

"You are correct it is obvious Diana is your daughter, Hippolyta,' the General said with a smile.

They moved into the kitchen and stood looking, admiring how spacious it was.

"I don't believe the Royal kitchens have such a wide variety of pans, do you, Phillipus?"

"No, they are quite nice,' the General offered.

"Do you think Diana has learned how to cook,' Hippolyta asked.

Phillipus moved over and ran her fingers over several of the pans.

"I believe her skills in that area are on par with yours, my Queen."

" Very amusing, General," Hippolyta replied. "I don't recall you spending much time over an open hearth either."

"That's true,' Phillipus admitted. "They are a nice collection of pots and pans though."

"Yes."

They stood for a moment looking at them, and then out of the corner of Hippolyta's eye she spotted a bowl of blueberries.

"Why doesn't it surprise me she has these here,' she said with a smile.

"I can still remember your expression when you saw her covered in their juice as a child,' Phillipus chuckled.

"I wasn't really that angry,' Hippolyta admitted. "She looked so adorable it was hard not to smile."

'You know this trip was worth it just to see the look on Superman's face when he opened the door,' Phillipus said and then chuckled a bit.

"I may have overreacted telling you to pull you sword,' Hippolyta replied, a smile coming to her face.

"I thought he was going to have a heart attack when you demanded to know where Diana was,' Phillipus continued, starting to laugh a bit harder.

"Well he won't be thinking of taking advantage of Diana any time soon, that is for sure,' Hippolyta offered, starting to chuckle herself.

"I would imagine he'll make sure to keep an extra distance from the Princess,' Phillipus replied.

"Then we've already been successful, haven't we,' Hippolyta said, now starting to really laugh.

"I can explain,' Phillipus said, mimicking Clark's reaction and holding out her hands as he had. This only made Hippolyta laugh harder.

"Did you see him try and close his robe,' she said through her laughter.

"I kept my sword pointed a little low just for effect,' Phillipus admitted. This brought tears to their eyes as they leaned against each other laughing.

"I don't believe he thought you were aiming for his stomach,' Hippolyta barely managed to say.

"I wasn't."

The two women leaned against each other as laughter overwhelmed them. Tears were rolling down their cheeks.

"Oh, Goddess, I haven't laugh like that in a long time,' Hippolyta finally said. "I'm so glad we made this trip."

"Thank you for inviting me, Hippolyta, it promises to be very interesting,' Phillipus replied.

"Yes, it does,' Hippolyta said. "I suppose we should go back out and talk to my 'son-in-law' and make sure he's all right."

"You know, the Princess could do a lot worse than him as a husband, my Queen," Phillipus offered.

"As much as a dislike the idea, I suppose you are right," Hippolyta admitted. "Don't ever tell Diana I said that."

"I doubt the Princess would believe me even if I did tell her."

"True."

* * *

Clark was just coming down the stairs, tucking in his white shirt as the two women walked back into the living room. He noticed they were both smiling and seemed much more relaxed than before.

"Um, everything okay,' he tentatively asked.

"Yes, you have a lovely home, Superman,' Hippolyta replied. Her smile got a little bigger and if he didn't know better he would have sworn the General was trying hard not to laugh.

"About that,' he slowly began. "As part of this 'bet' we supposed to be undercover, so would you mind calling me Clark while you are here?"

"Clark?"

"Yes, Clark Kent, that's my name,' he replied.

"I thought it was Kal-El,' Phillipus asked.

"It is."

"I thought it was Superman,' Hippolyta asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"How many names do you have, Kryptonian?"

"While I'm here, just one, Clark Kent, so if you would use it, I'd really appreciate it."

"If you wish,' Hippolyta said.

"I wish."

Before they could say anything more, the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting guest, Super-Clark,' Hippolyta asked, correcting herself.

"No, I wasn't expecting anyone today, but then nothing has been going like I planned lately," he admitted. "If you'll just excuse me a moment, I'll see who it is."

The two women just nodded and Clark went to the front door. He opened it to find LuAnn and three of the other women from the neighborhood standing there. Young Tommy was also with them.

"Hi, Clark, I thought that was your car in the driveway,' LuAnn cheerfully said and then hugged him.

"Ah, hi, um, LuAnn,' Clark fumbled to say. "What-What are you doing here?"

"Well, Betty is Tommy's mother and he was gushing all about how much fun he was having in your swimming pool and how nice you were to him,' LuAnn explained.

"And Mrs. Kent too,' Tommy spoke up.

"Right, her too," LuAnn said. "Anyway, we were all sitting around and it's so hot out today that we thought we'd come over and ask if you wouldn't mind if we used your pool!"

"Well, it's really not a good time,' Clark started, but LuAnn cut him off.

"You remember Jenny and Dottie, don 't you? Oh, and of course Betty and Tommy!"

"Ah, not really,' Clark said as he shook hands with the women.

"You have such a lovely house,' Jenny said with a shy smile.

"Thank you."

"We hope we're not intruding,' Dottie added.

"Well."

"Is it okay, Clark,' LuAnn asked, standing very close to him and smiling. "I just bought a new bikini and I've been dying to try it. I want your opinion on it."

"As I was saying this really isn't the best time,' Clark offered, but LuAnn was already making her way inside, followed by the others.

"Oh, you have guests already,' LuAnn said, finally seeing Hippolyta and Phillipus.

"Yes, he does,' Hippolyta said rather formally.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Clark," LuAnn asked.

He shook his head, visions of the peace and quiet of the Fortress coming to his mind.

"Um, this is Diana's mother and um, ah …"

"Aunt,' General Phillipus supplied.

"Right, her aunt," Clark repeated.

"Her mother?"

"Yes, I'm her mother,' Hippolyta said forcefully.

"You look like her sister," Jenny said, moving next to LuAnn. "It's amazing how young you look!"

"Thank you."

"You must tell me who your plastic surgeon is,' LuAnn added. "He does amazing work."

"Excuse me,' Hippolyta replied.

"Are you models too, like Mrs. Kent,' Tommy spoke up.

"Who?' Both Hippolyta and Phillipus asked.

"Diana,' Clark quickly offered.

"Oh, um, no, we are not models."

"Why not,' Tommy asked. The two women fumbled for an answer, but thankfully LuAnn was already pressing ahead.

"I'm LuAnn Vinton from across the street," she said, offering her hand. "These ladies also live in the neighborhood. That's Betty and that's Jenny and of course, that's Dottie.'

"Pretty,' Dottie absently said as she shook Hippolyta's hand. She immediately blushed with embarrassment.

"Ah, thank you,' the Queen replied.

"I'm Tommy,' the young boy said to them.

"Hello Tommy,' Hippolyta said with a smile, bending down to shake his hand. The General followed her example.

"Are all the women where you come from as pretty as you and Mrs. Kent are,' he asked. The two women smiled even wider at this.

"Yes, most of them are, Tommy."

"You definitely need to give me the name of your plastic surgeon," LuAnn said. "His work is just amazing. I can't believe are Diana's mother."

"I'd like his name too," Betty added.

The two Amazons raised an eyebrow at this and then looked at Clark.

"You do look amazing for you age," he offered with a shrug.

"Thank you, Su-Clark,' Phillipus said with a smile.

"So can we use the pool, Clark," LuAnn asked. "Please?"

All eyes were on him now.

"I promise not to push you in this time,' Tommy said.

Clark smiled at the young boy and then nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose it would be alright."

"OH, thank you, Clark, I knew you were a great guy,' LuAnn said and then kissed him. The General and Queen watched this rather intently.

"Yes, thank you, Clark,' the other women added. Tommy was already racing out to the pool and the others followed him. LuAnn stepped over to one of the deck chairs and pulled off her wrap. She had a rather shockingly small red bikini on. She turned and smiled at Clark.

"So what do you think, Clark,' she asked with a suggestive smile. "Tell me the truth now."

"Very nice,' he offered. She smiled and blew him a kiss before moving over to the other women. Hippolyta and Phillipus stepped up next to him.

"She seems very friendly,' Phillipus said.

"Yes, especially towards you, 'Clark'," Hippolyta added. "Very friendly."

* * *

Gotham

Zatanna and Constantine walked into her hotel. They were just coming back from dinner.

"Well, you paid, that was surprising,' she said. "The greasy spoon diner, not so much."

"I like the atmosphere of the place,' he said.

"You mean that you can smoke there,' she replied.

"Well, there is that."

"So thanks for dinner, John," Zee said as they stopped in front of the elevator.

"My pleasure,' he replied and then looked up at the numbers above the elevator. "So are you going to invite me up?"

"Are you serious,' she said.

'Yeah, why not?"

"You take me for a sandwich and a cup of coffee and you think you're coming up to my room," Zee replied. "What are you delusional?"

"Is that a no?"

"Yes, it's a no! I don't believe you,' she gasped. "Get the hell out of here, Constantine!"

"You know you were much nicer when you were younger,' he offered. "Back then you would have invited me up."

"Well, I was stupid back then,' she countered. "Thanks for dinner, but this is the end of the line. Bye!"

"I think I liked you better back then,' he grumbled.

'I'll just bet you did."

"Are you sure I can't change your mind,' Constantine asked. "You know, for old time sake?"

"I'd rather give you money,' Zee fired back.

"Okay."

"Good bye, Constantine!"

The elevator doors opened and Zee got on. She held up her hand to make sure he didn't try and follow.

"So the money's out of the question, too," he asked.

Zee just glared at him as the door closed. Constantine smiled, lit a cigarette and headed for the exit. He gave a small sideways glance as he took a drag, but didn't stop.

Stepping from the shadows, Bruce Wayne watched Constantine go. He glanced at the elevator and then turned and left out the back way.

* * *

The Watchtower

Mari, John and Shayera were sitting at a table together as Wally came dashing in. He saw them and smiled, before taking a seat at the table.

"Well, isn't this interesting,' he said with a grin.

"We're just having lunch, Wally,' John replied.

"As a threesome,' Wally offered.

"Do you turn everything into a sexual innuendo,' John asked.

"No, but this was tailor made, come on."

"What are you doing here, Wally,' Mari asked.

"I was looking for Shayera,' he explained. She seemed surprised by this.

"Me? Why?"

He held up two tickets and smiled at her.

"I got tickets from Zee for her show in Gotham and I wanted to see if you'd go with me."

"You what,' John asked.

"Tickets! I wanted to see if Shayera wanted to go to the show with me,' Wally repeated much louder. "First Supes, then Diana, now you, someone should talk to Ray about checking the hearing of you people."

"Why me,' Shayera asked.

"Well, I was thinking, with those wings you couldn't go incognito, so it would give me an excuse to go in costume,' Wally explained. "You get to see Zee's show and I get to look extra cool at the same time. It's a win-win."

"Well, I would like to see Zee's show,' Shayera mused.

"You're not seriously thinking of accepting, are you,' John asked.

"Why not,' Shayera asked.

"Yes, why not, John,' Mari added.

"Well, it's just that, well, if you had said you wanted to go, you could have went with Mari and me,' John fumbled to explain.

"There's the threesome again,' Wally chuckled. "Don't tell me I'm the only one thinking it."

John glared at him but didn't say anything.

'I think I'll accept, Wally,' Shayera said. "I never like hiding my wings anyway, so you're on."

"It's a date,' he cheerfully said. "I'll see you show night!"

He quickly dashed out of the room, leaving the three.

"You are really going on a date with Wally,' John asked, still not believing it.

"Yes, why,' Shayera asked.

"Yes, John, why,' Mari said.

* * *

Gotham

Black Canary hid in the shadows watching the motorcycle gang unload crate after crate from several large trucks. If her information from Oracle was correct, then those crates were filled with illegal arms. There was enough on those trucks to start a small army. She scanned the group again with her binoculars but didn't see Ramón, the leader that had torched the women's shelter. Dinah dearly wanted to get her hands on him, but was willing to settle for disrupting their operations.

She didn't even hear him until he was next to her.

"Thank you for waiting,' Batman said. She gave a little start, but quickly composed herself.

"I thought you'd changed your mind,' she said.

"I just had to check on something first, " he replied. He quickly turned the conversation to the situation at hand. "So they are trafficking in guns now. I guess the Lost Souls motorcycle gang is trying to step up to the big leagues."

"Then they are going to strike out tonight,' she said. He turned and looked at her.

"Did you really just say that?"

"It was a one liner, like in the movies,' she offered. "Heroes do it all the time."

"I guess it's better than ring-a-ding-ding,' he replied.

"Don't mention him, please,' she growled.

"What is it with you and him,' Batman asked. "I know he's crazy, but you really seem to dislike him."

"There's just something about him that irritates me,' she admitted. "It's like that Beyoncé song Single Ladies - Put A Ring On It, if I have to hear that one more time I'm going to climb the walls. Only it's worse with him cause I can't change the channel."

"I didn't realize you had such strong feelings about it. You really don't like him, do you?"

"No! I don't even know what it is, really, he just grates on my last nerve,' Dinah said.

"Are you sure this isn't really about Ollie,' Batman asked.

"What? That came out of left field, Batman,' she replied.

"It's just that I know you two are having problems."

"Not that it's any of your business, but what's going on between Ollie and me has nothing to do with Plastic Man,' Dinah said. "It's just that everything about him is like a dentist drill boring into my brain. Haven't you ever met anyone that just gets under your skin and irritates you?"

"Yes, of course,' he replied. "But I have noticed you've been on edge lately and it can't all be because of Plastic Man."

"This really doesn't seem like the best time to have a relationship talk, Bruce,' Dinah said. "Besides, you aren't exactly the best person for it, are you?"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"Could we talk about this some other time, Bruce? Let's focus on the people transporting illegal arms, please?"

"Fine."

"Thank you. Now how do you want to work this, 'she asked.

"I thought we could start with something like this,' he said. Pulling Batarangs from his utility belt, Batman tossed them towards the front and back trucks. "Get ready to let loose with a scream in 5. 4. 3. 2. 1."

The two trucks exploded, as the two heroes moved into action. Dinah let loose a scream shattering the warehouse doors and sending the bikers scrambling for cover.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana effortless took the turn into the community, barely slowly down to wave at the police officer hiding behind the Welcome sign. He feebly waved back as she disappeared down the street. Diana found she really liked driving. She had the top down and could feel the wind in her hair as the motor roared, propelling her through the streets. She had finished her shift and didn't feel like lingering on the station. She smiled as she thought about returning home. Home, how strange it was that after only a week she was thinking of their house in the suburbs as home it occurred to her. Maybe it was just the fact that it was the first place she'd ever lived that entirely reflected her tastes. She wondered if everyone felt this way about his or her first apartment or home.

Her time on the station had been good. She had been able to really use her powers for the first time in a week and it felt wonderful. She had to admit to herself that part of what Bruce had said was turning out to be right. Not using her gifts felt unnatural to her. She was able to do it so far, but had been reminded today of how much she enjoyed using them to help others. They were so much a part of who she was. Diana wondered if Bruce realized how much she actually had to control them everyday?

She was almost as strong as Kal was, but everyone seemed to forget that. It hadn't been as much of an issue on Themyscira with her sisters, but since she'd arrived in the Man's World, she had to be constantly vigilant not to use too much strength or she could easily hurt ordinary people. They were so fragile, one slip could do serious damage. It was one of the reasons she liked hitting Kal, as she didn't have to worry about hurting him. A smile came to her face as she thought about it.

Diana slowed down, as she got closer to her street, not wanting to get another lecture from him about driving too fast. He seemed obsessed with the idea that a ball was going to roll out in front of her and all Hell was going to break loose. As she turned onto their street she noticed many of her neighbors were standing in their yards as she passed. They all smiled and wave to her. It was strange that it predominantly men, but Diana just put it down as this being a friendly area.

Her mind flashed back to her verbal sparring with Bruce and a smile came to her lips. It felt different this time with him, she felt much more confident in her arguments and herself. Yes, it had only been a week, but she was proving something not just to him, but also to herself.

As she pulled into her driveway, Wally's comment about Zatanna wanting to date Kal came back to her. Diana liked Zatanna and thought of the younger woman as a friend, but the idea of her dating Kal didn't sit right with her. Yes, Zatanna was a beautiful young woman and many men would be interested in dating her, but she seemed all wrong for Kal in Diana's opinion. Parking the car, Diana dismissed this idea, as Kal was already dating Lois, so the point was moot.

As she got out of the car, the front door opened and Kal stepped outside. He leaned against the frame and watched her walk up the walkway.

"Hello, Kal, how was your day,' Diana asked with a smile.

"Interesting," he replied. "Oh, you have guests, Diana."

"I do? Who?"

"I think I'll let that be a surprise,' he said. "I want you to enjoy this as much as I have."

"Very well," Diana replied, not getting what he was hinting at.

"After you, Princess,' he said with a smile, stepping to the side and holding his hand out to usher her into the house.

"Kal! I've warned you,' Diana started, but he held up his hand.

"I think it's appropriate today."

"What?"

"Just come on inside."

Diana gave him a look as she entered the house. She stopped at the edge of the living room. Sitting on the couch drinking glasses of wine were Hippolyta and Phillipus.

"Mother? General?"

"Aunt." Clark corrected her.

"What?"

"She's your aunt, just go with it."

A rather confused Diana stepped into the living room, shocked at the sight of her mother and General Phillipus. She heard the sound of splashing and turned to see the neighbor women out by the pool. Jenny and Dottie waved and Diana half-heartedly waved back.

"What-What are you doing here, mother,' Diana finally asked.

"Just visiting my daughter and son-in-law,' Hippolyta replied with a smile.

"Are you checking up on me,' Diana asked, not liking this one bit.

"Can't a mother want to see where her daughter is living?"

"You have quite a lovely house, Princess, I mean Diana,' Phillipus offered.

"Thank you, General."

"Aunt Phillipus." Clark and the two women corrected Diana.

"What?"

"Since you are pretending to be married, we thought for this visit we would pretend as well,' Hippolyta explained. "We're just your mother and aunt coming for a visit."

Diana balled up her hands in fists as the anger rose inside her. Clark stood back with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Isn't this nice,' he said. "I think I'll just run out and get us all something to eat. I'll let you three have some alone time."

Diana turned to him with an expression that clearly said she was not happy. He gave her his most innocent smile and headed out the front door. When he closed it behind him, she turned back to her mother and 'aunt'.

"What are you really doing here, mother?"

"Just what I said, visiting,' Hippolyta said, smiling sweetly. "How about a tour of where you are living, daughter?"

"Mother!"

The patio door opened before they could continue and LuAnn popped her head in.

"Oh, hello, Diana, isn't Clark here,' she asked. "I was hoping he would help me put on some suntan lotion."

"He stepped out,' Diana replied, barely holding her temper.

"Oh, that's too bad," LuAnn said with a pout. "Well, when he gets back, could you send him out? Thanks!"

She closed the door and went back to the pool. Diana stood looking at her. Hippolyta stepped over to her daughter and looked out at LuAnn as well.

"I don't like that one,' Hippolyta remarked.

"I don't either,' Diana admitted. Neither of them were smiling.

"So how about that tour,' Phillipus said, trying to change the subject.


	21. Chapter 21

Cheerful

"Rinse & Repeat"

Gotham Heights

"Yes, Mother, we are both sleeping in the same bed, but it's not like you think."

The tour of the house had gone so well up till this point. While Diana was irritated that her Mother and General Phillipus were checking up on her, she found she did enjoy showing off the work she'd put into the house. Her Mother and 'Aunt' were duly impressed and commented as such.

Then she showed them the bedroom. Things didn't go so well after that.

"Are you telling me, daughter, that you sleep every night in that bed with Superman and expect me to believe nothing is going on,' Hippolyta asked.

"Yes."

"Are you hopelessly naïve?"

"No, mother, I trust Kal,' Diana replied. "He gave his word and has done nothing but live up to it."

"I believe you put your sword away too soon, Phillipus,' Hippolyta grumbled.

"Why is that so hard for you to believe, mother,' Diana asked.

"He's a man, Diana and they haven't changed that much in a few thousand years."

"Kal's not like that, he's honorable,' Diana said, defending him.

"Are you smitten with him, Princess,' Phillipus asked. "It would be understandable, he is a handsome man."

"Is that it, Diana, has he seduced you with his charms,' Hippolyta asked. The Queen turned toward the General. "It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for."

"He hasn't seduced me and no I'm not smitten, General, I just like and trust him,' Diana replied. "He gave his word."

"And you believe him?"

"Yes," Diana firmly said. "He also gave his word to you, Mother, are you saying you don't believe he would honor his word to you?"

The Queen fumbled for a second, as she had accepted his word, but that was before she saw this.

"Diana, men are different," the Queen awkwardly started. "I should have probably had this talk with you a long time ago, but I didn't think it would be necessary. Men have needs, Diana. These needs tend to control them and they don't think with their brains but another part of their anatomy. This is especially true around beautiful young women like yourself, Diana."

"It's biological, Princess, they have an overwhelming need to spread their seed,' Phillipus added. "Some men think of nothing else but spreading their seed as far and wide as they can."

Diana stood there, her mouth open just looking at the two women.

"These needs or urges," Hippolyta continued, choosing her words carefully. "They build up within men and require release. At times like these men will do or say anything to women to get them to participate in this release."

"Some women are willing,' The General noted.

"Yes, like that trampish woman downstairs, but not all women are,' Hippolyta added.

"Well, a handsome man like the Kryptonian probably has more opportunities than most,' Phillipus suggested.

"Yes, that's probably true,' Hippolyta admitted.

"Stop!" Diana put up her hand before they could continue. "The Birds and the Bees, Mother, really? I'm not a child, I know about sex, Mother!"

"Oh really,' Hippolyta replied, not liking this at all. 'Just how did you happen to come by this knowledge? Did the Kryptonian help you with your studies?"

"No! Mother I've known all about it since I was a barely a teenager back on Themyscira! All the girls did, the Bana were very helpful filling in the details,' Diana explained.

"Probably that Artemis, she's always been a troublemaker,' the Queen grumbled.

"She would be my guess, as well,' Phillipus replied.

"I will have a long talk with her when we get back."

"Mother, General, I am a grown woman,' Diana declared. "I not so naïve as you think. For you information Kal has been a perfect gentleman. If and when I have sex with someone it will be when I decided, not before!"

"What exactly do you mean when,' Hippolyta demanded. "You've already thought about it, haven't you?"

Diana suddenly realized in the heat of the moment she'd offered just a bit too much information. She had just said something out loud she hadn't really admitted to herself. Diana blushed as she realized she'd already made the decision and now it wasn't if, but when.

"I'm, ah, not-not comfort talking about that,' she stammered.

"So you have,' Hippolyta shouted. "That will not do, not at all! I knew this 'bet' was trouble the moment I heard about it! Well, it's over now, you are coming home with us, Diana!"

"No, mother, I'm not,' Diana firmly said. "I'm staying. I'm not your little girl anymore."

Phillipus gasped and Hippolyta frozen for a moment. She stood staring at her daughter and the silence was deafening.

"Don't ever say that again,' Hippolyta whispered. "You will always be my little girl."

The emotion was palpable as mother and daughter stood face to face. Finally the Queen turned and walked from the room. Diana sat down on the bed and her hand came up to cover her mouth. General Phillipus stood silently for a moment and then turned to Diana.

"You've hurt her more than you realized, Princess,' she offered.

"I didn't mean .. I just, it's that … I'm not a child, General,' Diana fumbled to say.

"She's your mother, Diana,' Phillipus softly offered. "In her eyes you will always be her child, more precious than anything in the world. One day you will understand this when you have a child of your own."

"What should I do,' Diana asked.

"Go to her, apologize,' Phillipus counseled. "She loves you."

"And I love her,' Diana replied.

'Tell her that."

Diana stood up and hugged Phillipus. The General gave her a smile and then nodded. There were tears in Diana's eyes as she headed out the door after her mother.

* * *

Gotham

The fighting was brutal, as the motorcycle gang was better prepared this time. They still fell before the combined force of Black Canary and Batman. Under a constant barrage of bullets they moved with a ferocious grace, a violent ballet of destruction that was something to behold.

It was close, hand-to-hand fighting as the bikers fought desperately. The numbers were in their favor and so should have been the odds, but for the most part they were brawlers, street thugs. They were out-classed from the start. Most of them didn't even realize it until it was too late.

They had put their faith in guns, thinking like most thugs do that with a gun they were somebody. It's easy to be a tough guy when you're pointing a gun. It makes you forget the first rule of fighting, there's always someone bigger and better. Anyone that has been in a fight knows this, but a gun gives you the illusion you are something you aren't. A gun creates fear and panic in most people, and this is what the thug believes is power.

When the person you are facing isn't afraid, your gun loses much of its potency. Oh, you still might get a lucky shot in, but with each miss that fear changes sides. That illusion of power slips away and fear takes its place.

Dinah dodged another volley of increasingly panicked gunfire and advanced towards the shooter. She could see the fear in his eyes as she snapped his wrist and tore the gun from his hands. He pathetically tried to block her fist, but it was too fast and well placed. His nose shattered and he slumped to the ground. She was already moving on to the next target.

Bruce had used the bikers' initial shock at seeing the Batman to full advantage. In and out of the shadows he moved, striking again and again. He used fear as a weapon, but it was backed by countless hours and years of training. The more they shouted and screamed profanities at him, the more his silence increased their fear. Their curses rang hallow as they fired wildly into the darkness. He was in his element, seemingly everywhere and nowhere. Batarangs and bolos came from every angle, picking off one after another.

Then it was down to one. His eyes were wild with fear. He ran out of bullets and Black Canary was still standing right in front of him. In desperation he throw the now useless gun at her. She effortlessly sidestepped it and continued towards him.

The reptile part of his brain made the switch from fight to flight. As he turned to run, Batman was standing waiting for him. One straight right later, the last biker was unconscious on the floor. There was no escape.

The sound of police sirens drew near and Bruce looked over at Dinah. They didn't need words, as the look said everything that needed to be said. It was a look fighters and soldiers know only too well. They'd survived and won again, but there would be no celebrating cause the war wasn't over.

When the police rushed into the warehouse, guns drawn they found the aftermath. Bikers littered the floor and one of the crates was opened, the illegal guns in plain sight. There wasn't a trace of who did this, but the veteran police officers had seen this before and knew.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana stood in the doorway looking at her mother. Hippolyta was in the shrine Diana had erected. She had lit several candles and was kneeling in front of them. Silently Diana moved into the room and knelt down next to her mother. Hippolyta stiffened but didn't speak, just continued her silent prayers.

"I remember when you first taught me to honor the Gods,' Diana said. "It all seemed so mysterious to me, but you made me understand."

Hippolyta glanced out of the corner of her eye at Diana, but didn't speak.

"I never told you this, but I used to add an extra prayer at the end for you,' Diana said.

"For me? Why,' Hippolyta finally said.

"Because I never wanted anything to hurt you, Mother,' Diana replied. "Now I've done it myself. I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said earlier."

Hippolyta sighed and turned towards her daughter.

"Yes you did and I understand why you said it, Diana,' Hippolyta offered. "You are a grown woman, I see that now."

"I am also your daughter and always will be,' Diana replied. "I'm proud of being your daughter, Mother."

"And I am of you, daughter. I always have,' Hippolyta said, and then hugged her. Diana immediately returned it. "It's just that I will always see you as that young girl with blueberry juice all over her face and hands running towards me in the fields. I guess I'm just now realizing you don't need me to watch over you anymore."

"No, that's not true, Mother,' Diana replied. "I was angry earlier because my greatest teacher didn't realize how much she had taught me. The woman I am today is because of you, Mother. The Gods may have created me, but it's you that shaped me. That little girl is still inside me; Mother and she will always need you. I love you, Mother."

"And I love you, Diana."

They held each other in a fierce embrace, both had tears rolling down their cheeks. No other words needed to be said.

* * *

Gotham

The small diner was far from the tourist traps and the sign's letter R had been out for as long as anyone could remember. It was open all night and brings out a strange mix of patrons. Some are here to forget, while others seek the warmth of others and some are just here for the coffee. The waitress says little, just takes your order and leaves you in peace.

Bruce and Dinah sat in one of the back booths, two black coffees in front of them.

There's energy to a fight that last much longer than the initial adrenaline rush. It's similar to the buzz workers have as they end their shifts, but far more intense. Walk into a bar just after a fight has happened and you can feel it, a certain electricity in the crowd.

It's the seductive side of violence that no one talks about. It's what despite all the calls against boxing as barbaric and Medieval still makes it the most mesmerizing sport there is. Anyone that's actually been in a fight, win or lose, knows this. It's like a drug, your whole body is on fire while you heart is racing and the whole world seems alive. It's that seductive feeling that keeps a fighter coming back for more long after his time is over.

Dinah and Bruce were still feeling its effects. They could have gone back to their respective homes, but they were too wired to settle in for the night. Dinah had joined Bruce on his patrol but the city was quiet tonight. A change of clothes later, they found themselves here along with all the other people that didn't want to call it a night.

"You were damn good out there,' Bruce finally said. "A little reckless, but good."

"I knew what I was doing, " she replied. "You were pretty amazing yourself. Thank you for coming with me, Bruce."

"I had the feeling you were going to do it with or without me, so I figured I'd join you."

"Still, I appreciate the help."

"It's not over, you know that, right,' he asked.

"Yes, but I'm not going to relent on it either,' she replied.

"You seem to be taking this very personal, Dinah, that can be dangerous."

"It is personal, Bruce. A young woman stood up because she trusted me and I let her down."

"You couldn't have known they would find her and burn the place down," he offered.

"It's Gotham, Bruce, I should have known everything has a price here,' she said. "If someone is brave enough to stand up against people like that, then they shouldn't have to worry about it costing them their life. I let it happen once; I'm not going to let it happen again."

"It sounds like you are declaring war on the Lost Souls motorcycle gang."

"Wouldn't you?"

"Probably."

They both took a sip of their coffee and were quiet for a while. Dinah looked around at the diner, taking in the people that were there.

"I never pictured you in a place like this, Bruce,' she said.

"Most people don't, but this is my world. It's where I make a difference."

"Why did you bring me here,' she asked

"Cause I wanted you to know what you're getting into,' he replied. "Up on the Watchtower everything so clean and straightforward, but down here it's the opposite. Down here everything is shades of gray. It's cruel, brutal and life is cheap. I know I can't talk you out of what you're doing and frankly I wouldn't even try, but I want you to understand what you're getting into."

"Thank you, but my eyes are wide open, Bruce,' she said. "You asked about Ollie and me earlier and yes we are having problems. We've both changed, but not in the same way. He's pulling back, while I'm pushing ahead. I'm not the same young girl he first met anymore. I started this because it was sort of the family business, but that changed a while ago."

"How so?"

"It matters to me more now,' she admitted. "Even when I'm not doing it, I find I'm thinking about it. It's like I finally figured out what I want to do with my life and now that I have I want to get on with it."

"This can be a very lonely life, Dinah,' he said.

"I know, I'm already realizing that,' she replied. "The thing is the more I do this, the more this feels like the real me. I could go off somewhere and open a flower shop as a cover, but that would just be wasted time. It took a while to admit it to myself, but now I'm sure that I'm all in. This is what I want to do."

"If you're waiting for me to say you're wrong, I'm not. We each have to decide what's right for ourselves. I would just say, be very sure, Dinah, cause I don't think there's any going back once you start down this road."

"I am sure, but thank you, Bruce,' she said. "And thank you for bringing me here. Am I the first person you've brought here?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head.

"Who else?"

"A long time ago, I brought Zee here on a date,' he admitted with a slight shrug.

"Zee? Here? How did that go,' Dinah asked, having trouble picturing her friend in this place.

"She said she liked the coffee,' he replied with just a hint of a smile. "Of course we haven't had another date since."

"Shocker."

Dinah had to chuckle as she pictured the two of them.

"Yeah, I know, but it was a long time ago."

"I think you owe her one, Bruce."

"Maybe I'll take her to lunch sometime,' he replied.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana and her mother came down the stairs arm in arm. General Phillipus was smiling as she saw them.

"I take it you worked things out, 'she asked.

"Yes, and thank you, General or should I call you Aunt Phillipus,' Diana said with a smile.

"Either one is fine.'

"Why do I have the feeling you had a hand in this,' Hippolyta asked.

"Isn't that what an Aunt is supposed to do,' Phillipus offered.

The three women hugged. The patio door opening and LuAnn poking her head inside interrupted this.

"Sorry to break up a family moment, but is Clark back yet,' she asked.

"No,' Diana said as she stepped away from her Mother and 'Aunt."

"Oh, pooh," LuAnn pouted. "Well, don't forget to send him out when he does, will you? Thanks!"

She closed the door and walked back over the edge of the pool.

"I really don't like that one,' Hippolyta offered.

"She does seem to be enamored with Clark,' Phillipus observed.

"Yes, she knows he's my husband yet she continues,' Diana grumbled.

The two other women looked at her.

"Well, she doesn't know it's pretend," Diana justified. "It's not right, she's flaunting it right in my face that she wants him!"

"Well, he is really single,' Phillipus offered.

"No, he's not, he's married to me," Diana said and then quickly added. "As far as she knows, that is."

"So she's challenging you for him,' Hippolyta asked, watching her daughter carefully.

"Yes, that's exactly what she's doing,' Diana replied.

"Has he given any indication that he might be interested in her," Hippolyta continued.

"No, of course not,' Diana immediately said.

"Because he's married to you,' Hippolyta added.

"Yes."

"I see."

"It's not like that, Mother, it's just that I don't like her or what she's doing,' Diana quickly explained. "There are rules about this sort of thing and she's not abiding by them."

"By going after your pretend husband,' Hippolyta asked.

"Yes, well, she doesn't know that!"

"So what are you going to do about her challenge?"

"What can I do,' Diana asked. "I can't fight her, that wouldn't be fair."

"May I make a suggestion,' Phillipus asked.

"Yes, of course,' Diana said. The General leaned in a whispered into Diana's ear. Diana gasped and then chuckled as she heard what the other woman had to say.

"Do you think it will work,' Diana asked.

"It will send a message,' Phillipus replied.

"Excuse me a moment,' Diana said and then quickly headed for the kitchen. Hippolyta moved over to Phillipus.

"What did you tell her?"

"Watch."

The Queen looked at the General and then turned and watched Diana carrying a tray of glasses and a pitcher out to the patio. She had a big smile on her face. LuAnn was standing by the edge of the pool with her wrap on and didn't turn as Diana made her way over to the table.

"Who would like something to drink,' Diana said in her sweetest voice.

"Me!' Tommy shouted and came running over. Diana took a step back and bumped into LuAnn just hard enough to throw her off balance. LuAnn gave a scream as she lost her balance and went headfirst into the pool.

"Whoops," Diana said with a huge smile on her face as she saw the other woman floundering around in the pool.

"I don't think she's a strong swimmer, either,' Tommy observed.

LuAnn managed to make it to the side and Diana moved over to where she was.

"Here, let me help you, LuAnn,' Diana offered, holding her hand out to her. LuAnn took it and started to climb out of the pool, but Diana let go. LuAnn went plunging back into the water.

"Oh, you must have slipped out of my grasp,' Diana said, still smiling from ear to ear. LuAnn glanced up at Diana with a shocked look on her face and then swam over to the other side. As she climbed out of the pool and brushed the wet hair out of her face she looked at Diana.

"I guess I should have warned you to be careful around my pool, LuAnn,' Diana pleasantly offered. "Accidents tend to happen when you're not."

"That happened the other day too," Tommy said. "Except it was you and your husband that time, Mrs. Kent."

"That's right, Tommy, _my husband and I_," Diana replied, still looking at LuAnn.

The other ladies were already packing up their things as they watched this.

"Oh, look at the time,' Dottie offered. "Thanks again for letting us use the pool, Diana, but we really should be going."

"If you must,' Diana said. They just nervously smiled at her and then dragged Tommy and LuAnn with them as the made a hasty exit. Queen Hippolyta and General Phillipus stood smiling as they went by. They gave the women a little wave as they went out the front door.

"Bye!"

* * *

The Watchtower

Ollie was sitting in the cafeteria at a table with Fire and Gypsy. As was their nature, there was some flirting. It was mostly harmless, but certainly didn't go unnoticed. One table in particular across the cafeteria was keenly focused on them. Shayera, Wally and Mari were watching and didn't like what they saw.

"It's not right," Mari said.

"I know,' Wally agreed. "Fire's so smoking hot, I was still trying to work up the nerve to ask her out and now Ollie's cock-blocking me. I never have the nerve to just ask the beautiful women out, it's like a curse or something."

"You just asked me out, Wally," Shayera said in irritation. "Are you saying I'm not attractive?"

"No, but asking you out was more of a friend thing,' he replied. "I mean guys that go out with you end up all screwy and I don't want that."

"What the hell does that mean,' she gasped. "They do not!"

"How about that Carter Hall guy? One date with you and he's suddenly wearing a bird mask and wings. I really don't have the head for a bird mask, Shayera, besides, I've sort of got my own thing going."

Shayera looked at him like he was crazy, but before she could reply Mari spoke up.

"That's not fair, Wally, Carter Hall was crazy even before they went out. He was her stalker before her date."

"You went out with your stalker?"

"It wasn't like that,' Shayera said, trying to defend herself.

"You didn't know he was stalking you?"

"Well, yes, I did, but he seemed nice,' Shayera admitted. "Besides, it turned out he'd been messing around with some Thanagarian technology and that was the reason he acted like that."

The other two just sat there looking at her for a moment.

"Okay then,' Wally said. He looked over at Mari and rolled his eyes. Shayera reached over and hit him.

"I'm not blind, Wally!"

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark had taken the leisurely way home, wanting to give Diana some extra quality time with her Mother and the General. As he pulled into the driveway and started to carry the Chinese food inside, he heard someone calling his name. He turned to see Cubby coming towards him. Standing on her porch, LuAnn had a towel around her head and waved.

"Clark, glad I caught you!"

"Hi, Chubby, what's up?"

"It's Cubby, Clark, like the bear,' the man corrected him.

"Of course, sorry."

"I'll let it go this time,' Cubby said. "Look, I just wanted to make sure you're coming to the barbeque tomorrow. It's going to be quite the spread!"

"I really don't know," Clark replied. "You see I've got people staying and …"

"I heard the Mother-in-law is over,' Cubby said, cutting Clark off. "Yowsa! I've been there myself, brother. My sympathies. Look why don't you invite them too. You can butter them up at the party and let them strap the old feed bag on. They'll love it."

"I'll have to check with Diana," Clark weakly offered.

"The old ball and chain, huh,' Cubby chuckled. "You know Clark, sometimes a man has to put his foot down.'

"You really don't know Diana that well, do you, Cubby?"

"Don't get me wrong, Clark, but the gorgeous ones are always high maintenance,' Cubby said. "You have to firm with them."

"Be a Man of Steel, so to speak,' Clark replied.

"Exactly,' Cubby said, pointing his finger at Clark. "I know it's tough, but sometimes you got to man up!"

"Right."

"Besides, it's going to be a great party," Cubby said. "Lots of food and drinks, a friendly gathering of neighbors. Trust me, I know Mother-in-laws, the old gal will love it!"

"You haven't met her either, have you?"

"No, but if you bring her, I'll be sure to turn on the charm,' Cubby offered. "Mothers love me."

"I'll bet."

"Don't think of this just as a party, Clark, think of it as an opportunity,' Cubby said. "You strike me as someone looking towards the future. A man of tomorrow, if you will."

"I've actually heard that before,' Clark replied.

"I knew it, I have a nose for this sort of thing,' Cubby continued. "And do you know what the future is, Clark?"

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"Aluminum siding."

"Excuse me?"

"Aluminum siding, Clark, it's the future at affordable prices today,' Cubby enthusiastically said. "You have a lovely home, you want it to last, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but it seems in pretty good shape to me,' Clark replied, glancing at the house.

"With aluminum siding it will always remain that way, Clark. You can't put a price on security like that!"

"I thought you just said it was affordably priced?"

"It is!"

'Don't you sell aluminum siding, Cubby,' Clark asked.

"I have that privilege, but the truth is, it sells itself,' Cubby replied. "Look, come on over tomorrow, bring the mother-in-law and the aunt, strap the feed bag on and we'll go over some numbers. You'll see this is the best time to buy."

"I'll think about it."

"Clark, I want to see you all at that party tomorrow, I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"I'm really getting that impression."

"Look, I can see you're about to eat, so I'll let you go,' Cubby said. "We'll talk more tomorrow, Clark. Just remember, aluminum siding, it's the future!"

Cubby gave Clark a slap on the back and then headed back across the street. LuAnn was still standing on the porch and she smiled and waved to Clark. He raised his hand in sort of a wave and then headed inside. He found the three women sitting in the living room having a glass of wine.

"I thought you got lost, Kal,' Diana said.

"No, I just got stopped by Cubby from across the street,' he replied. "It seems he really wants us to come to his barbeque tomorrow. He even invited you, your Majesty and the General."

"Who is Cubby,' Phillipus asked.

"That woman's husband,' Diana replied.

"She's married,' Hippolyta asked in surprise. "Well, then she's even more shameless than I thought."

"Did something happen while I was away," Clark asked. Diana looked at the General and her mother and gave a small smile.

"Nothing really."

"Why don't I quite believe you,' Clark said. "You didn't hit Luann, did you, Diana?"

"No, of course not,' Diana replied. "I may have 'accidently' bumped into her and she fell into the pool."

"Accidently? Right,' Clark chuckled as he carried the food towards the dining room table.

"Well, It's your fault, Kal, you encouraged her,' Diana stated.

"I encouraged her? I was just polite and said hi,' he countered. "Besides you're one to talk, I'm sure you didn't mention to your mother or the General how when we went out to a nightclub half the men in the place asked you to dance within the first ten minutes."

"That was only because my 'husband' didn't ask me like he should have,' Diana replied.

"I didn't want to fight my way through the crowd,' Clark teased.

"Oh, aren't you so amusing,' Diana snidely said.

"General, tell me was Diana always so sarcastic even as a young girl or did she pick that up once she arrived in the Man's world?"

Diana gave him a slap.

"I believe it happened in the Man's World,' Phillipus replied. "Oh, she has always liked to hit, though."

"That I believe."

The four sat down to dinner and the banter continued. Queen Hippolyta participated, but for the most part she sat back and watched the interaction between her daughter and Superman.


	22. Chapter 22

Stardust Memories

"The Memory of Love's Refrain"

Gotham Heights

The sound of laughter could almost still be heard echoing through the house. Dinner had been tense at first, but as the night went on everyone began to relax a bit. After dinner and of course cleaning everything up, the four of them moved into the living room. A bottle of wine was opened and then another. The topic of conversation turned to one the Queen and General were more than willing to participate in. Clark enjoyed it too. Diana not quite as much, as the topic was stories about her growing up.

Clark didn't talk too much, only when it seemed they needed encouraging. Mostly he sat back either smiling or laughing. The Queen and General were laughing as well and eventually even Diana joined in. The story telling session wrapped up a little after midnight. Clark and Diana insisted Hippolyta and Phillipus take the bedroom and then would sleep on separate couches in different rooms.

Hippolyta was willing to allow them to continue this 'bet' and even share a bedroom in the abstract, but she wasn't quite ready for them to do it under the same roof she was under. Sensing she was softening just a bit towards him, Clark quickly agreed.

The two older women said good night and headed up. As soon as they were upstairs, Diana began to clean up. Clark was going to make a joke about it, but he'd begun to notice how much care she took with the items she had picked out and purchased. They seemed to hold a special value for her, so he wisely kept quiet and helped.

As Diana poured them a glasses of wine from the last bottle of the night, Clark moved over to the CD player. He had many of the latest CDs and Kara had been sure to load his laptop with what she called the 'bleeding edge' music of the day, but he wasn't in the mood for that tonight. Growing up with older parents than most, the music that played in Clark's house wasn't music of the day, but the music of yesteryear. He had fond memories of Martha putting on Billie Holiday or Frank Sinatra records and then Jonathan coming in and taking her in his arms. The two of them would dance around the living room and kitchen in their own little world.

Music has a way of doing that, bringing bits of memory back. A song can come on and in your mind it conjures up a very specific place and time. The song Eleanor Rigby might come on the radio and sudden your mind flashes back to walking alone across a college campus back to your dorm. It's raining and the song is coming from an open window. You can almost smell the dampness of your jacket or the way the song echoes off the builds. The memory of how all around you are people, yet that moment is only yours.

He put on Louis Armstrong, one of Jonathon Kent's favorites. The first song was a duet called "Stars Fell On Alabama" and it brought back the first time he'd kissed Lana in the barn. He'd been looking through the telescope, for once at the stars, when she came in and walked up the stairs. She'd done it a thousand times before so nothing seemed different. The lights were low so he could see the stars better. He remembered being very aware of her standing close to him. From the house the song drifted out into the night. She asked to take a look and he stepped back. She slipped in front of him, their bodies pressed against each other. He could feel her trembling and his pulse was racing. She turned and looked into his eyes and then their lips met.

It was a very tentative, clumsy kiss, but he remembered thinking it was the best kiss in the history of the world. He silently chuckled to himself as that much more innocent time was so clear in his memory. He turned as Diana came back into the living room carrying the two glasses of wine.

"This is nice,' she said with a smile.

"Louis Armstrong, he was one of my dad's favorites."

They moved over and sat down on the couch. Diana noticed him glance as her, so she sighed and moved a little further away. Not quite four feet, but not two, so he didn't complain. He leaned back and started to put his bare feet up on the coffee table, but could feel her eyes on him. He put them back on the floor.

"Sorry."

"Thank you."

They sat for a moment listening to the music. Diana pulled her legs up and tucked them under her, as she sipped her wine and closed her eyes. He glanced over and thought she looked as relaxed as he'd probably ever seen her. The thought that she looked even more beautiful then usual entered his mind, but he pushed it away.

"It was nice having your mother and 'aunt' over,' he teased. "We should definitely do it again."

"You just liked it cause they told all those embarrassing stories about me,' she replied.

"Well, it did seem only fair after what I had to put up with at the farm."

"Your mother's stories weren't nearly as embarrassing as mine,' Diana said. "Plus Phillipus seemed to take a special delight in telling of my youthful misdeeds."

"I thought you were quite adorable in all of them,' he offered.

"Oh, shut up."

He laughed and she couldn't help joining him.

"You know, you didn't need to encourage them,' she said.

"I figured as long as they were enjoying themselves they would be less likely to start pulling swords on me," Clark replied. "Always want to be on the mother-in-law's good side."

"You're not funny,' she said, turning a little away from him.

"You're just mad because I got to call you Princess all night and you didn't get to hit me."

"I kept count,' she replied, giving him a big smile.

"I'll bet you did."

It was her turn to laugh.

"I was nice having them here,' she admitted. "It's been a long time since we spent an evening together like this. It's one of the things you miss when your mother's a Queen and you are a Princess."

"Well she did manage to tuck you in every night and what was the story you always made her tell you,' Clark teased.

"If you tell anyone about that, Kal, my mother won't be the one you have to worry about pulling a sword,' she replied.

"We're only married a week and already you're threatening me," he said in mock outrage. "I wish I'd have known about this side of you before the wedding."

"Why, so you could tunnel your way out of it,' she asked.

"That was a perfectly good plan,' he said in defense.

"Of course it was," she teased back. "It's just what every bride wants to hear from her future husband on their wedding day. I noticed you left that detail out when you told everyone."

"I just hit the highlights,' he offered.

"You keep telling yourself that Kal."

"I went through with it, didn't it,' he asked.

"You weren't exactly the most enthusiastic groom."

"Look who's talking,' he countered. "I believe deer in the headlights would best describe your expression."

"The only one smiling was mother,' she admitted.

"Well, the next time you get married it will be better."

"The next time?"

"Well, everything's easier the second time, Diana, it's like that story the General told about you getting it in your mind you would capture a wild bore."

"I was eight, Kal,' Diana grumbled. "I can't believe she told you that. I thought it was our secret. She had to give you ever detail of it, didn't she?"

"Well, I'm sort of used to that being around women so much,' he replied.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Well, men and women are different, Diana,' he explained.

"You're not going to tell me about the Birds and the Bees, are you Kal,' Diana asked. "Mother already tried that earlier tonight."

"She told you about the Birds and the Bees," he said. "Why?"

"Because of the one bed and she thought we were, well, you know,' Diana said, suddenly embarrassed at admitting that.

'You made it clear that's not happening, didn't you,' he quickly asked. "Do I need to keep one eye open tonight for a sneak attack?"

"Yes, Kal, you're safe, I told her I already knew about all that and we weren't, well, you know,' Diana replied.

"Oh, she must have loved that," Clark groaned. "Hearing her innocent daughter isn't quite so innocent."

"Well, you didn't have to say it like that,' Diana replied, not liking how it sounded. "I'm a healthy adult woman just like anyone else. Just because I know about it and have given it some thought, doesn't make me a harlot."

"I would never suggest it did,' he quickly offered. He looked at her for a moment, as something she said caught his attention. "So you thought about it?"

"I'm not talking about this with you, Kal,' Diana firmly replied.

"Why not? If you can't tell your husband, who can you tell,' he joked.

"Keep it up, Kal, I think I'd look good as a widow,' Diana fired back.

"Wow, that's a little harsh, isn't it," he asked.

"Well, what about you, Kal," Diana said, turning the table on him. The song changed to Stardust Memories.

"What-What about me?"

"Well, from everything I've heard, men think about it all the time,' Diana said with a smile. "So are you thinking about it, Kal?"

"Those are human standards, Diana," he offered, a little uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation.

"You grew up on Earth,' she countered, enjoying watching him squirm instead of her. "I noticed you didn't answer the question, Kal? Do you?"

"I'm really not comfortable having this discussion, Diana."

"Why not? You seemed interested when it was me being asked the question."

"Which you didn't answer, either, I might point out,' he quickly said.

"You're still evading the question, Kal,' Diana replied with a smile. She even moved a little closer to him to add to his unease. He of course noticed this. He leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him. "I'm just going to sit here and listen to the music, if you don't mind."

"Still evading, Kal."

"Shh, Diana, I really like this song,' he said.

A big smile came to her lips as she sat back and took a sip of her wine.

"So if that wasn't what you were talking about when you said men and women are different, what were you talking about, Kal,' Diana asked.

"You're not going to let me sit here and listen in silent, are you?"

"No."

"I didn't think so,' he said with a sigh. "All right, I just meant that being around all women as I have for the most part lately, I've noticed differences."

He held up his hand before she could reply.

"I'm not talking about sex, Diana, so get your mind out of the gutter," he continued. "I was talking about little things, basic differences you don't normally notice."

"Such as?"

"How they tell a story,' he offered. "Women tell stories differently then men do."

"No they don't."

"Yes, they do,' he said in disagreement. "If a group of guys are sitting around talking, there's a whole different rhythm to how they tell stories then women do. If a guy is telling a story, it goes sort of like this, Question: Interest? Result, Details. Women on the other hand tell a story like this, Question, Details, Result. Guys want instant gratification. Women are all about the details not the outcome."

"That's not true, you're making it up,' Diana protested. "I've listened to men talk and don't see any difference."

"Okay, next time you're around a group of men and women, tell them about a problem you're having,' he explained. "The women will commiserate with you and offer support, while the guys will offer solutions."

"So are you saying the men's way is better,' she asked.

"No, that's not what I'm saying, Diana,' Clark replied with a shake of his head. "I work as a reporter most of the time, so observation is important to my work. Because of that you notice little differences in people and the way they approach the world. Another example is sports. For men, talking about sports is like a social lubricant with other guys. You can barely know the guy, but if you have to talk to him, you can always fall back on talking about the game last week."

"Women talk about sports,' Diana offered.

"Not as much or in the same way guys do,' he replied. "Think about it, we been living together for over a week and the subject of sports has never come up. Put two guys in a room for a couple of hours and sooner or later one of them is going to say something like "that Lebron James is a helluva player, isn't he?"

Diana sat there just looking at him for a long moment, with a perplexed expression on her face. Suddenly her eyes narrowed and her mouth pulled into a tight line.

'You just made that all up so you wouldn't have to answer my question, did you?"

He gave her his most innocent smile.

"More wine?"

* * *

Gotham

Bruce Wayne had a sense of humor. Most people that knew him as Batman would never believe this, but he did. It just took the right person to bring it out. One of those people was Zatanna.

He knew that after she parted ways with Constantine, she had eventually gone back to the theater to make sure everything with her act was working and ready. He also knew this meant she would run through her act at least three times before she was satisfied. Doing the calculations in his head, he added up the time between her leaving Constantine at the elevator, changing her clothes, which she loved to do more than any woman Bruce knew, and then making her way to the theater. Give or take a few minutes, he knew how long her act took. Multiply it by three and add at least another hour and a half for set up and reworking certain tricks, Bruce calculated she arrived back at the hotel very late.

She would be sleeping in. He wasn't going to let her do that. If she could come to the mansion and invade his morning, well then that gave him the right to return the favor. He'd set his alarm especially to wake up earlier than usual. He showered, dressed and drove the ten point two miles to her hotel. He had a smile on his face as he walked through the lobby and waved at the manager. No one stopped him he was Bruce Wayne.

Moments later, he was standing in front of her door. For once he knocked, but there was no answer. He hadn't really expected one. The hotel room lock was childishly simple and he was inside in moments. The room was pitch dark, all the heavy drapes pulled tight to shut out the early afternoon light. For a man that spent most of his time in the darkness, this didn't pose a problem.

Silently he moved into the bedroom suite and stopped at the foot of her bed. Zatanna had the covers and sheets haphazardly thrown about, as she lay sprawled out under them. She had a sleep mask on, but it was askew too. His smile got just a little bigger. Bruce knew exactly which window to start with. With a flourish, he yanked open the drapes bathing her in sunlight.

"What the hell!" she screamed, fumbled to get her mask back into place. "I put out the Do Not Disturb sign for a reason, I don't need housekeeping! Close the drapes!"

"No."

"What,' she groggily said, pushing the mask up and groaning. It took a moment, but she finally made out who was in her room. "Bruce?"

"Morning or should I say, Good afternoon," he cheerfully said.

"What the hell are you doing here? Close the drapes, I'm blind!"

"Nope,' he replied, pulling open the next set of drapes and flooding the room with light.

She gave a scream and pulled the covers over her head like a vampire avoiding the light.

"Bruce! This isn't funny, I had a really late night!"

"Oh, you're a performer, Zee, you should be used to it by now,' he countered.

"What are you doing here?"

"You're taking me to lunch."

Slowly the covers moved down to reveal a very unhappy and angry Zatanna.

"What did you say,' she asked, her voice almost a rasp.

"I said you're taking me to lunch, Zee,' he repeated.

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

"No, just hungry, so why don't you get up so we can go?"

"Elohssa! I'm not taking you to lunch, now get out!"

"Oh, yes you are and thanks for the free show, but you might want to pull that sheet up a bit."

Zatanna squealed and pulled the covers up to her neck. He chuckled and that didn't improve her mood.

"I could hurt you, bad,' she growled. 'I know things, dark, horrible magic things."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure you do,' he said, checking his watch. "Look I made reservations at my favorite restaurant so you're going to have to get moving if we're going to make it."

"For the last time, I'm not taking you to lunch, so get out!"

"Not a morning person, huh," he said, moving closer to her. Bruce leaned down and smiled. "Yes, Zee, you are taking me to lunch, you owe me."

"What? How do I owe you,' she exclaimed.

"You got two free meals at the mansion, so I'm here to collect,' he replied. "Look, I'll order some coffee sent up while you shower."

He glanced around to see the haphazard way all her things were all over the hotel room.

"Not exactly a neat freak, are we?"

"Shut up!"

"I'll just call from the other room while you get ready,' he said to her. Bruce flashed a smile and then walked out of the room. Zatanna grumbled and moaned, before flopping back in the bed and pulling the covers over her.

""I don't hear any water running," Bruce called from the other room.

"I hate you, Bruce Wayne!"

"No you don't."

She screamed in frustration, but tossed off the covers and stomped into the bathroom.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The barbeque was in full swing as Diana, Clark, Hippolyta and Phillipus walked into the backyard.

"It certainly smells good, "the General offered.

"Clark!"

They all turned to see LuAnn and Cubby coming towards them.

"Oh, this one again,' Diana grumbled under her breath.

"My thoughts exactly," Hippolyta replied.

"Let's not have any incidents, please, ladies,' Clark asked.

Diana and her mother looked at each other, but didn't reply.

"Welcome! Welcome, one and all,' Cubby cheerfully said. "I thought you were bringing Diana's mother and aunt, Clark, not her hot sisters?"

"Excuse me,' Hippolyta said.

"Wow, it is amazing what those plastic surgeons can do today,' Cubby continued. "You don't look a day over thirty."

Before the Queen could respond, Clark stepped forward.

"Nice place, Cubby, looks like the party's going well," he nervously said. Out of the corner of his eye he was trying to keep watch on both Diana and Hippolyta.

"Well, it sure it, Clark,' Cubby laughed. "When the Vintons host a party, they go all out! Now don't be shy, everybody's friends here! If you need anything just holler! I've got a goat to roast and steaks to barbeque! Enjoy!"

LuAnn started to move towards Clark, but the look on Diana and her mother's face stopped her.

"I think I'll just mingle, she offered. "Make yourselves at home!"

With a slightly nervous smile, LuAnn moved away from the four of them.

"It seems she got the message, Princess,' Phillipus remarked.

"I'd be more than happy to remind her,' Diana replied.

"Look, everybody, it's a party,' Clark said. "Why don't we try and enjoy it? For today, you're not Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta and you're not General in command of them, Phillipus. I'd say what you're not today, Diana, but you'd hit me. We're all just neighbors trying to have a good time. These are just nice normal folks getting together to share a nice evening, okay?"

The three women reluctantly agreed. As they moved into the party, others from the neighborhood said hello and welcomed then. The word pretty came out of several men's mouths, but none of the ladies took offensive to it.

They began to mingle and the food and drinks continued to flow.

"I must admit, they do seem like nice people," Hippolyta remarked.

"The food and spirits are plentiful as well,' Phillipus offered, as she took another drink. "This liquor is called Vodka and it is quite refreshing. I believe I will have some more of it."

Carl the dry cleaner came over to the ladies holding little beanbags in his hands.

"Hey, Polly, you interested in a little cornhole?"

"I beg your pardon," the Queen said with indignation.

"I believe it's a game of some sort, my Que-Hippolyta,' Phillipus said.

"Oh, well, that's different,' Hippolyta said to Carl. "No thank you."

"I will give it a try,' Phillipus said. "I've always been good at skill games."

"Great!' Carl said and ushered her over to the match area. Hippolyta watched for a while, but the game seemed mindless so she moved on.

As the evening progressed and the food and drinks continued to flow freely, Hippolyta found she was enjoying herself. After getting over the initial shock of it, she began to talk with the neighbors. It had been a long time since she hadn't been addressed as your majesty or my Queen and the novelty of being just another person at the party was intriguing to her. She didn't have to watch everything she did for fear one of her subjects might be taking notice. Today, she would just be Polly she thought and enjoy this simple evening.

* * *

For Clark and Diana it was more practice on their cover. They mingled with the neighbors telling them all about the way they'd met and how they were married. Diana was asked about the wedding and she went into detail describing it to the other wives. Everyone seemed very nice to her and she found herself enjoying telling the stories.

For Clark it was mostly a good time, except for two things. One Cubby seemed bound and determined to sell him aluminum siding. How a man could be so fascinated by one subject Clark couldn't figure out. As he listened to Cubby describe his product, it seemed to take on magical properties unheard off with normal wood siding. Clark had no intention of buying, but he tried to be polite. In a strange way, it was actually fascinating to watch him give the hard sell. Cubby was a professional salesman, the old school kind and any occasion was apparently ripe for the next big sale.

The other problem wasn't so easily dealt with. LuAnn had made it rather plain she was interested in Clark. While he was flatter that an attractive woman liked him, it made for some uncomfortable moments. First of all, she was married to the guy pushing the aluminum siding. Second, Diana was not happy about it, at all. Clark tried politely let LuAnn know he wasn't interested, but that didn't seem to work. Finally he just resorted to the easiest method, he stayed near Diana. That worked quite well and he was able to relax.

"It is an interesting party, isn't it, Kal,' Diana said. "Did you try the goat, it was delicious."

"No, I didn't get a chance yet," he replied. "I've been listening to aluminum siding pitches and keeping an eye out for trouble."

"She's over by the Lawn Jarts, perhaps I should challenge her to a game,' Diana suggested.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea,' he said. "We don't need any accidental impalings."

"It was just a suggestion."

"Uh-huh," he said with a smile. "Besides, you probably couldn't get a clear shot the way you've been surrounded by all the husbands for most of the party."

"Yes, they do all seem interested in where I'm from,' Diana replied.

"I don't think that's exactly what they're interested in, Diana."

"Don't tell me your jealous, Kal,' she said with a grin.

"Well, I could do without constantly being told how incredible lucky I am by every guy here,' he replied.

"But you are lucky, Kal, you're married to me, remember,' Diana teased.

"Well, someone's ego is certainly enjoying all the attention," he teased back. "Maybe I was too quick earlier. I mean it seems I have other options."

"You had better be talking about Lois, Kal,' Diana said.

The smile slipped from his face as the memory of their break up came rushing back. Diana noticed it immediately.

"Kal? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, something did,' he admitted. "About Lois, she broke it off with me. I guess I can't be the man she wants or needs."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kal," Diana replied. She could see plainly how much this hurt him. She wanted to put her arms around him and hug him, but he stepped away.

"Maybe it's for the best," he offered. Clark hadn't meant to mention it to Diana and didn't want her to worry about him. He tried to play it off with a joke. "Perhaps Bruce has the right idea, I should start dating lots of women. Ask the first one that is willing to go out with me."

Diana knew what he was doing, but this was not the place for the conversation.

"I don't think I'd like that, Kal,' she said. "I mean, how would it look if my husband starting dating?"

She smiled at him and he found himself returning it.

"Thanks Diana,' he softly said, giving her hand a squeeze.

"You're welcome, Kal."

* * *

Hippolyta was getting into the swing of things. She cheered on Phillipus as she defeated all comers in each of the games they had. The two of them celebrated with vodka shots after each round. They were in a very good mood.

They were just going back to the bar for a refill when they spotted Jenny and Dottie sneaking off giggling. Curiosity got the better of the two Amazons and they followed them. Jenny gave a little shriek of surprise when they stepped behind the bushes.

"Oh, gosh, Polly, you scared the heck out of me,' Jenny gasped. "I thought you were the cops."

"5-0,' Dottie said and then giggled.

"Why would you be worried about the authorities,' Hippolyta asked.

"You're not a narc, are you,' Dottie asked.

"I don't believe so.'

"How about you, Philli-Phillip-Phillipussssss,' Dottie said. "You kind of look like a narc or 5-0."

"I don't even know what 5-0 is, Dottie,' the General replied.

"Okay, that's cool."

Jenny pulled Hippolyta to the side. She glanced all around them and then whispered to the Queen.

"We're doing the Pot, Polly! We're hippies!"

This brought a giggle from both Jenny and Dottie.

"The Pot? What is that,' Phillipus asked.

Jenny and Dottie both smile at this.

* * *

The sun had set and Cubby cleared off a part of the cement patio. Tike torches were lit and he pulled out a boom box. At first he nearly blasted everyone out, but finally he found the volume control. Couples began to dance. Clark turned to Diana.

"I thought I'd head off the stampede and ask you this time,' he said with a smile.

"Stop exaggerating, Kal,' Diana said as they stepped unto the cement porch. Clark glanced over her shoulder and saw the look of disappointment on many of the men's faces.

"Not really that big an exaggeration, Diana,' he said as they started to dance. They moved around the floor enjoying the night and the music. At one point Cubby and LuAnn moved up next to them.

"Care to switch partners, Clark,' Cubby said. Both Cubby and LuAnn had big smiles on their faces.

"Just a little swap to liven things up,' LuAnn added.

Diana turned and looked at them.

"No."

Clark gave Cubby and LuAnn a shrug and danced away with Diana.


	23. Chapter 23

Spinning

"Miles to go before we sleep"

Gotham Heights

"_When the lights go down in the city_

_And the sun shines on the bay_

_Ooh I want to be there in my city,_

_oh oh_

_Oh, oh, oh oh!"_

There's an old axiom that nothing good happens after midnight, even in the suburbs. When you get a group of novice suburban Satan worshippers mixed with their neighbors on a Saturday night and add too much food, liquor and other ingredients, this is especially true. Throw in three Amazons and you got yourself a party.

As Clark sat back and watched Hippolyta and Phillipus sway arm in arm with several of the neighbors valiantly attempting to sing along with the Journey song "Lights" he had to admit it was an interesting night.

"Do you think they've been bewitched somehow, Kal?"

"I think their high, Diana,' he replied. "Well and a little drunk, too."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, you're talking about my mother,' Diana said.

"No, that's Polly and Philly getting their freak on,' he joked. It earned him a smack from Diana.

"Ow."

"_When the lights go down in the city_

_And the sun shines on the bay_

_Do I want to be there_

_In my city,_

_ohoh ohohohoh ohoh_

_mmmmhmhm ohoh ohohoh ohoh!"_

There were cheers and hugs all around as the song ended. Hippolyta and Phillipus came walking over to Clark and Diana with smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands.

"We must get some of this vodka for the island, it's wonderful,' Phillipus said.

"And some of that Pot, as well,' Hippolyta added.

"Careful, 5-0,' Phillipus replied, gesturing toward Diana and Clark. Hippolyta nodded in agreement. They both laughed a little at this.

"Enjoying the party,' Clark asked with a smile.

"Yes, very much." Both ladies agreed.

"Mother, don't you two think you should act your age,' Diana demanded. She was more than a little concerned by their behavior.

"I've lived three thousand years, Diana, that doesn't meant I'm old," Hippolyta replied. "Besides, it's a party and we are just attempting to fit in."

The General nodded in agreement but than started to laugh and was joined by Hippolyta. They tried to pull it together as they saw the look of disapproval on Diana's face, but with only mixed results.

"I believe my plastic cup is empty again," Phillipus said as she stared at it. She turned and headed back towards the bar.

"I would like another one as well, please,' Hippolyta called. Phillipus waved as she continued through the crowd. Hippolyta sat down next to Diana and smiled as she looked around her.

"Mother, have you been doing anything illegal,' Diana asked. Hippolyta straightened up at this question.

"I am the Queen of a sovereign nation, Diana, and as such, not subject to the laws of a foreign power,' she regally said. Her attention was then draw to the decorative lights that were strung around the backyard. "Have you noticed how vivid the colors are tonight? Or how the beat of the music seems to speak to you?"

"Yeah, she's high,' Clark chuckled. This earned him another smack from Diana.

"Ow."

"Mother, I can't believe you are acting like this,' Diana protested. "What would our sisters say if they saw you right now?"

"But they are not here, daughter, are they,' Hippolyta replied, patting Diana on the leg. "It seems only fair if I must go along with pretending you two are married, then you can go along with me having a little fun for once without worrying about how it appears."

"But mother,' Diana began to complain, but Hippolyta cut her off.

"It's a party, daughter and the music makes me feel like dancing. Join me."

Diana started to object, but her mother pulled her up and towards the makeshift dance floor. Diana turned towards Clark for help, but he just shrugged and smiled. Phillipus came back carrying two drinks and looked around. When she heard the music, she smiled and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Oh, I like this song, hold these will you," she said, pressing them into Clark's hands. She quickly moved to join Hippolyta and Diana.

It was a fast song, Brickhouse by the Commodores and the small dance floor quickly filled up. It was mostly the women, but a few of the men gave it a try. Clark, knowing full well his limitations, sat it out. Fast dancing wasn't one of the things he was 'super' at.

After her initial reluctance, Diana seemed to get in the spirit of things. She had always loved to dance. Putting aside whatever reason behind her mother and the general attitude, Diana decided just to enjoy this moment.

As Clark took a sip of his drink and watched the three Amazons dance, two of the husbands came over to him.

"Some party, huh, Clark,' Bob said. Both he and Ted didn't seem to be able to tear their eyes away from the dance floor. Clark had to admit Diana, Hippolyta and Phillipus did make quite the impression.

"Yes, it's a nice party."

Ted nudged Bob and tilted his head towards Clark in encouragement.

"Um, ah, Clark, we were wondering something and were hoping you could help us."

"What's that?"

"This Greek island your wife and her relatives come from, do all the women look like them?"

"Not all,' Clark replied. "Most."

"God Almighty," Ted whispered, taking another look at Diana.

"Is it, um, hard to get to?"

"Very,' Clark said.

"It would be worth it,' Ted mused.

"Um, ah, thanks, Clark, man you're a lucky guy,' Bob offered, as the two men walked away shaking their heads.

"Yeah, I'm a lucky guy," Clark repeated to himself. He leaned forward, holding the plastic cup between his hands. It was true, for the most part Clark felt extraordinarily lucky. Without even bringing his powers into the equation, he felt very fortunate. Parents that loved and watched out for him had raised him. With the arrival of Kara he had a real family, along with Martha. He had a good job that he still enjoyed and many friends. It was a good life and he was honored to have it, but there was still one rather large hole in it.

With everything that had been happening, he'd almost forgotten it.

Glancing around he saw couples laughing and embracing. For them this was real, this was their life. Maybe it was the hour or just emotions catching up to him, but Clark felt rather melancholy. Watching the other couples bought back the hard cold fact that this was an illusion for Clark and the reality was he was alone. Lois' words about it being a beautiful fantasy while it lasted came back to him.

As much as it still hurt, he understood what she was saying. He wanted so much to try and fix things, to make it right, but there really wasn't anything to do. Some things just fall apart and can't be put back together. He had tried harder to make it work than he had at anything else in his life, yet in the end it hadn't been enough.

He didn't want to be one of those people that couldn't accept when something was over. He understood that desire to hold on so tight that it wouldn't slip away, but to do so would destroy what they had in the first place. Not everything is meant to be forever. If he couldn't accept that, he would ruin both their lives. If you truly care for someone, he wondered, how could you ever want that for him or her? As painful and gut wrenching as the end of a relationship is, letting it slip into bitterness was worse.

It seemed he was back where he always was, alone. He still believed in love and hoped it was out there for him. With each defeat though, it got just a little harder to take that risk. The heart was the one part that wasn't made of steel. It could be bruised easily and every time it was it took a little longer to heal.

Clark took a sip of his drink and glanced around him again. A sad smile crossed his face as he thought about the other part of the bet that seemed to have slipped everyone's mind. The supposed reason they were here undercover, was to find out who was behind the ritual animal sacrifices and pentagrams that had popped up in this community.

As he was walked around the party all night, Clark slowly put the pieces together. It didn't even take his super talents to figure it out. There were slips of the tongue as the alcohol flowed. At first he couldn't believe what he was hearing, but as the night progressed he began to understand. Cubby and LuAnn were the ringleaders of some amatuer quasi-Satan cult and several of the other couples at the party were members. Ringleaders sounded a little too strong, he had to admit. These weren't bad or evil people.

As he listened to them talk, he started to understand. Times were hard and they were all afraid of seeing their dreams slip away. They'd worked so hard, played by the rules all their lives and had made something for themselves. Clark saw they hadn't realized just how razor thin the margin was. Success could turn into failure overnight and those dreams they'd worked for all their lives would vanish just as quickly.

Desperate times make people do desperate things. It's why fortunetellers and rainmakers still make a living. People are looking for help anywhere they can find it. Yes, this group had gone a little further than most, but he could tell they weren't bad people. They'd found something that gave them some hope and in times like these that's important.

Most of his life fighting villains and galactic threats was black and white, but this was much more about shades of gray. To treat Cubby, LuAnn and the rest like any other criminal seemed wrong to Clark. Zero tolerance sounds good, but life isn't like that. Good and bad, right and wrong always have degrees to them.

Clark glanced over at the dance floor and smiled as he saw Diana. She was enjoying herself dancing with her mother and mentor. He understood that if he solved the 'crime' that would technically end the bet, as there would be no more need for them to be undercover. That would mean he would return to his empty apartment and that prospect held little appeal to him right now.

Watching her dance, Clark saw what every other man at the party saw. She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. He'd always been aware of this, but right now it was more apparent than ever. He found he liked pretending to be married to her. He could only imagine how depressing the last week would have been if she hadn't been there. He'd known her for two years, as Wonder Woman and they were friends, yet in the last week he'd learned more about Diana, the woman wearing the costume than in all that previous time.

Clark reminded himself this was only an illusion that it was just pretend. They weren't really married and she was still interested in Bruce. It was a nice illusion, though. As long as he didn't forget that, what would be the harm, really, he thought. Diana was more concerned with proving she could make it the whole month anyway, so it wouldn't be like he was forcing her to do something she didn't want to do.

Everyone needs a little illusion in his or her lives now and then, even heroes. We all pretend we're better looking or smarter than we actually are and as long as no one is hurt, we accept it. As long as you remember the truth and don't start believing the illusion, there's nothing wrong with a little pretending.

As he watched Diana laughing and enjoying herself, Clark decided he would let things go awhile longer. He would keep quiet. The way his private life was going lately, he could use a little pretending right about now.

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah moved towards the cafeteria, still feeling a little restless from the previous night. She found herself thinking of her conversation with Bruce. It was the first time she'd admitted openly what she'd been thinking over for several months. The attack on the women's shelter had just crystallized everything for her. Being Black Canary wasn't something she put on and took off anymore; it was the real part of her life. The time she spent as just Dinah Lance seemed more and more to be just a holding pattern between being her real self.

She didn't fool herself and think she could be Black Canary all the time. It was just that her personal life wasn't bringing her the satisfaction she got in her professional life. She still loved Ollie and probably always would. They had just grown into different people.

As she rounded the corner towards the cafeteria, she saw him talking with Gypsy. They were both smiling. Dinah watched as Gypsy slipped a piece of paper to him and then moved off with a smile. Ollie caught sight of Dinah out of the corner of his eye and quickly put the slip of paper away. A phone number, Dinah guessed, but surprisingly she didn't even care anymore.

"Hey, pretty bird, I didn't know you were still around,' he offered with his trademark smile.

"I got that impression."

"What? Gypsy? Why that wasn't what it looked like, we were ...,' he started to explain, but she put her hand up to stop him.

"I don't need another excuse, Ollie, don't worry about it."

"It wasn't an excuse, Dinah."

"Call it whatever you want then," she replied.

"What's up with you tonight, Dinah?"

"I'm tired, Ollie, tired of doing this over and over. For once let's just not follow the same pattern."

He looked at her for a moment and his expression turned serious.

"It sounds like what you're tired of is me,' he said.

"Ollie, I don't want to get into this now,' she replied. "We're both tired so let's not say things we shouldn't."

"No, Dinah, maybe it's time we say them,' he countered. "You obviously have something on your mind, so don't be afraid to say it."

She stopped in front of him, her mind filled with a hundred different things she could say, but finally just the truth came out.

"All right, I'm tired of this game we're playing,' she said. "Everyone thinks we're this great couple, yet scenes like the one I just witnessed keep happening. We barely see each other anymore, Ollie. What are we? We haven't been lovers for quite some time or partners either. Tell me, what are we doing?"

"Look, I know we've hit sort of a rough patch,' he admitted. "Don't let me talking to Gypsy bother you, that was nothing."

"Do you really think that makes it better?"

"What is it you want from me, Dinah? You don't want an explanation, so what?"

"I don't know anymore,' she said.

"Maybe that's the real problem,' he suggested. "Maybe you don't want me anymore."

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you've been thinking it, haven't you,' he asked. "If it makes it better, so have I. This isn't working, is it?"

"No."

"Maybe it's time we step back and rethink some things,' he suggested. "I think we both want certain things out of this relationship, they just aren't the same things."

"So this is it? Just like that,' she asked.

"I guess it is,' he replied. They stood there looking at each other for several moments. They were such a big part of each other's lives; it didn't seem real that it could end just like this. Ollie finally reached out and took Dinah's hand. He bent over and kissed it.

"If you change your mind, you know where I am."

With that he turned and walked away. She just stood there watching him disappear.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The party was winding down and the guests were all starting to depart. Hippolyta and Phillipus had made a rather sizable dent in the food and LuAnn had fixed them both to go plates. There was an awkward good bye between Cubby and LuAnn and Clark and Diana and then they made their exit trailing Hippolyta and Phillipus. The two older Amazons were singing "Lights' again, but not even coming close to the words.

"Remind me to download the words to that song for them,' Clark joked.

Diana was watching something else, though. Other couples were heading home and she saw them holding hands. It brought a smile to her face and she found she wanted to do it too. She slipped her hand into Clark's. He looked at her.

"Blending in,' she offered, gesturing towards the others.

"All right,' he said with a smile. He gave her hand a little squeeze and she returned it. As they slowly made their way back to their house, Diana found herself fascinated by holding hands with him. She had of course held hands before, but this was different. With most people she could barely feel their touch. Oh, she felt the pressure and texture, but it was really a faint echo of what others would feel.

Kal's hands had always fascinated her since she'd first met him. They were so large and powerful, yet there was gentleness about them. When he held her hand, she could feel the whole range of sensations, from the warmth of his skin to the pulse of his blood surging through his veins. With most people she never got those sensations. She always had to be so careful not to use too much of her natural strength for fear of hurting someone. With him that wasn't an issue.

Diana realized they rarely held hands before and tonight presented a unique opportunity. The truth was she rarely held hands with anyone, so her curiosity got the best of her. She shifted her fingers against his, intertwining them. He looked over at her with a questioning look on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Experimenting."

"With holding hands?"

"Yes."

He waited for her to say more, but she didn't. As she shifted her fingers again, lacing them with his, he shook his head and just went with it. For Diana's part, she was enjoying this very much. She tried several different methods of holding his hand, noting that each had it's own appeal. Fingers laced together was her favorite. She could feel his whole hand against hers. His thumb absently brushed down the side of hers and she felt little tingles go up her arm. She gave his hand a squeeze, and he reciprocated. She liked that too.

Much too soon for her liking they were back at their house and had to disengage their hands. As she went to help her mother and the general put away the to go plates, Diana knew she liked holding hands and wanted to do it again.

* * *

Gotham

Bruce's mind was filled with women, well three to be exact.

Diana was into the second week of their bet. He had to admit a slight sense of admiration at her determination. He knew she wouldn't give up without a fight; it was part of who she was. It was one of the many things that attracted him to her. There was such a sense of life about her, an almost hunger to experience it. She was one of the few people that would challenge him and it was her style to do it head on.

Part of him hoped she'd win, but a larger part hoped she didn't. Her challenge to him the last time they'd seen each other about whether he could handle being number two had almost hit on the truth. She probably didn't even realize it, he knew. She would never fit into his world and for them to be together he would have to fit in hers.

It wouldn't even be that hard, really. He had grown up in a world of wealth and privilege and could easily mingle with the movers and shakers of the country. He'd done it all his life, but that was the public Bruce Wayne. To be with her he would have to be that public Bruce Wayne most of the time. It held little appeal to him anymore.

The alternative was for her to try and fit into his world. Part of him believed she could do it, but that felt wrong too, like an angel flying too close to the ground. He didn't know what the right thing to do was. For all his detective skills and analytical brilliance, he was at a loss for answers. Perhaps that's why he'd started this bet in the first place, as the decision would be taken out of his hands.

The second woman on his mind tonight was Zatanna. She presented a completely different set of issues. She knew the private Bruce Wayne; the one few got to see. She tended to challenge him as well, but in an almost sideways, playful way. She was one of the few people that didn't think of him as Batman first. She liked to needle him and get under his skin. In some way she reminded him of Selina, except without all the trust issues.

She brought out a side of him he didn't use much anymore. A small smile crossed his lips as he thought about the planning he'd put into getting her back for waking him up. He would never do that with someone else. She seemed to drift in and out of his life on a whim, yet always managed to make an impression.

The third woman was Dinah. His concern for her had been growing since their talk. He knew only too well where the path she was on lead. It was the same path he'd chosen long ago. As much as he wanted to steer her away from it, he also understand better than anyone where she was. He knew that feeling, that all-consuming need to make things right where they always seemed to go wrong.

As he'd listen to her talk last night, he felt a kinship between them. It was like hearing an earlier version of himself finally putting into words what had been eating away at him. She seemed to draw him in as she explained her reasons. Having talked with Ollie, Bruce knew they were drifting away from each other. It was almost inevitable they have a break. Ollie didn't understand her anymore, or if he did, he wasn't willing to go where she was heading.

Bruce realized where she was heading was straight towards him.

So here he was with three women on his mind. He had no answers for what to do about any of them. It was a situation he rarely found himself in.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Hippolyta and Phillipus had finally succumbed to the combined effects of everything they'd done tonight. They were currently sleeping it off in the bedroom. Diana had made up her bed on the living room couch, but she wasn't tired. Her thoughts were of Clark revelation at the party. He wasn't with Lois anymore. Diana's heart went to him, knowing how hard this must be for him. From what she knew of their relationship, she had always assumed he was in love with Lois. Finding out it was over had been a shock.

Diana heard the sound of the Jacuzzi starting up and glanced out the patio doors to see him adjusting the controls. He was only wearing a pair of boxer swim trunks and she found herself staring as he moved around the Jacuzzi and finally climbed in.

Other thoughts came to Diana's mind. While she didn't wanted to talk about it with him and definitely not with her mother, Diana had been having some rather intimate and erotic thoughts lately. Quite a few to be exact. It wasn't the first time, but something about sharing a house and bed with Kal seemed to intensify them. Since arriving in the Man's world she had watched her female teammates flirt with the male teammates. While she herself had never done this, she was interested in it. Of course, some of her male teammates were always flirting with her, especially Wally, but she had never given it that much thought. She knew they found her attractive and with that came a certain power.

Diana had witnessed Zatanna and Dinah use this power on more than one occasion, yet she never had. She thought back to the morning she had seen Kal watching her in the patio door as she walked away and a little excitement went through her. There was something very alluring about knowing she had such an effect on him. Kal was always friendly with everyone, but he kept him or her at arms length. The fact that she had made a dent in the cool exterior pleased Diana.

Still not tired at all, Diana got up and went upstairs. She silently went into the bedroom and changed into her swimsuit. She stopped for a moment and glanced at her mother, but she was dead to the world. Diana grabbed a towel and made her way downstairs, a sense of excitement growing within her with each step.

She didn't really have a plan for what she was going to do; she just knew she wanted to get that reaction from him again. Stepping out onto the patio, Diana saw he had his head back and eyes closed. She let the towel slip away and stood there in her one-piece black bathing suit.

"Mind if I join you,' she asked.

His eyes opened and turned towards her. He took in the vision of her standing there.

"Oh, Jeez,' he groaned.

The smile on Diana's lips grew at hearing this.


	24. Chapter 24

Protean

"The Man on the Flying Traipse"

Gotham Heights

Clark shifted to the opposite side as Diana slowly walked over. He couldn't help thinking the effect of her in the bathing suit seemed to intensify the closer she got. Quickly glancing down, he was reassured the churning water didn't let you see below the surface. When he looked up, she was standing on the rim of the Jacuzzi looking down at him with a smile.

"I asked do you mind if I joint you?"

"No." His voice actually cracked a bit and he coughed to clear it. "I mean, no, help yourself."

"Thank you."

She stretched out what seemed to him to be an impossibility long leg into the water and then eased the rest of her body down across from him. She watched his reaction the whole time. Her smile grew as he raised his hand out of the water and rubs it across his forehead just above his eyebrows. Diana liked this game. She realized that was what it was, a game of flirting.

When he looked up at her, she reached up and brushed some of her curls behind her ear. She tilted her head to the side, stretching a bit while still holding his gaze.

"The water feels wonderful, Kal, very hot,' she said.

"Ye-Yeah,' he managed to reply. It's not the only thing, he thought. He sunk a little lower in the water, so only his face remained above the surface. She sat a little higher in the water. While her bathing suit was modest by most standards, it provided more than just a hint of cleavage. From watching others on the station and her own personal experience, Diana knew men were fascinated with that part of a woman's anatomy.

She wasn't aware that after Power Girl, hers was the most talking about on the station. Even Wally was smart enough not to let her in on that little tidbit.

Diana shifted again, moving a little closer to his side of the Jacuzzi. She could see he was watching her closely, with perhaps a bit of trepidation. When she accidently brushed her smooth leg against his, he seemed to jerk away as if burned.

"Sorry,' she offered in her most innocent voice. The smile on her face belied this and suggested she wasn't sorry at all.

Something was up, Clark thought. He knew Diana pretty well at this point, but he'd never seen her act like this before. Something was going on in that mind of hers and whatever it was she seemed to be enjoying it. It was almost as if she were intentionally trying to make him uncomfortable or almost as if she were flirting with him. No, Clark dismissed this; he'd never seen Diana flirt with anyone as long as he'd known her. It had to be something else, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what.

Diana, for her part, was enjoying this immensely. She was discovering a truth as old as time. A beautiful woman can affect even the most stoic of men, even Supermen. He'd calmly faced threats from some of the strongest and deadliest villains and tyrants the galaxy had to offer without batting an eyelash, yet just sitting here with her he was nervous.

She casually brushed her foot up his calf and had to suppress a smile as she saw him hastily shift away.

"Is everything all right, Kal,' she innocently asked.

"Hmm? Oh, ah, um, yeah, Diana, just-just changing position,' he managed to reply.

Yes, Diana thought, she definitely liked this game. Her ability to affect him was a quiet power, yet no less potent, she realized. It was a like a game of whispers. Small things, a touch, a look, even a gesture could be as devastating as the most powerful blow.

She found that the game was having an effect on her too. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, as this was quite the heady experience. All her life people had told her she was beautiful, yet she had never really given it much thought. On Themyscira, all her sisters as beautiful, each in their own way. When she arrived in the Man's World, the lessons she'd learned back home caused her to dismiss the constant references to her looks in the media.

She put up with the speculation about her love life from the vanity press as just the cost of getting her message out. On the Watchtower there were many so-called beautiful women, so any added attention she received there, she assumed was because of her powers or that she was a Princess. Wally hit on everyone, so he didn't count.

How she looked had never been something she thought much about. Diana certainly had a healthy ego and liked to think she was attractive, but for the most part it wasn't something she dwelled on. Tonight, she was thinking about it and Kal was the main reason. For most of the time she'd known him he never commented or even seemed to notice how she looked. Catching him watching her walk away the other morning made her realize he did notice. Diana found that she liked that he noticed.

Gazing across the Jacuzzi at him, that sense of quiet power seemed to ripple over her skin. The knowledge that without a punch being thrown, she could affect him more than all the villains combined was very alluring to her. Almost as if to test this newfound power, Diana stretched her arms over her head, arching her back as she did. The sound of him trying to stifle a groan brought an even bigger smile of her face. She looked back at him, holding his gaze.

"Is something wrong, Kal,' she innocently asked. "You seem to be sweating."

"Hot,' he whispered. "Hot water, but-but I'm good."

"Are you sure,' she playfully asked, skimming her foot up his calf again. She had to pull her lower lip between her teeth to stop from laughing as he shifted quickly away.

Clark righted himself and looked at her. He didn't miss the amused look on her face. She's enjoying this, he realized, she doing this on purpose. So the Princess wants to play, does she, he thought? Two can play this game and I've played it before, Clark mused.

"Enjoying yourself, Diana,' he asked.

"Yes, the water is very nice," she replied.

"I wasn't talking about the water."

"Oh?"

"You're flirting with me, Diana."

"Am I? Are you sure, Kal,' she asked. Diana brushd both her feet teasingly against his and smiled as he quickly shifted away.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure,' he said. "I know everyone thinks of me as a Boy Scout, but I know when a woman is flirting with me."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Kal,' she said with just a hint of teasing in her tone.

"Uh-huh."

They sat across from each other, holding the others eyes. Diana absently reached up and twisted one of her curls around her fingertip. She definitely liked this game and especially playing it with him.

"Oh, I forgot to ask, do you like my bathing suit, Kal,' Diana offered. "You don't think it's too revealing, do you?'

She rose up so the water was at her waist. He ran his index finger over his lower lips as he looked at her.

"It's lovely."

Okay, so she wants to play, does she, he thought. Clark realized he had a rather unique opportunity to be proactive for once to a situation. He was pretty sure she hadn't played this game before, so he had the advantage. It was time he called her bluff and unlike her misreading the situation with her mother, he was almost absolutely sure it was really a bluff. Time to step things up just a little bit, he mused.

"You know, Diana, it occurs to me I never answered your question from before.'

"What's that,' she replied, a little caught off guard by this. He further surprised her by moving towards her instead of away.

"Sex. You asked if I think about it,' he said, moving slowly towards her. He held her eyes the whole time.

"Oh,' she said, blushing just a bit.

"The answer is yes, Diana."

His hand brushed against her knee under the water and it was her turn to flinch away.

"I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately, to be honest,' he said, his voice low and a bit husky.

"You-You have?"

"How could I not,' he replied, "with such a beautiful woman so close to me?"

"Kal?"

Diana was rather flustered, not sure what was going on. This wasn't the way she thought the game would go. Did she push him too far, she wondered?

"Kal, my-my mother is right up there,' she said, nervously gesturing toward the bedroom window.

"They're asleep, it's just you and me, Diana,' he whispered as he moved closer. Diana swallowed nervously, as he was very close now. Things had gotten out of hand, she frantically thought. Her eyes went wide, as he put his hands on the rim of the Jacuzzi on either side of her.

"You're a beautiful woman, Diana,' he whispered.

"Kal, I didn't mean to…" she said, putting both her hands on his chest to stop him.

"Shh, don't push me away, Diana,' he said, bringing one of her hands up to his lips. He kissed just the tips of her fingers. "I would have never made this move, but for your invitation."

"My what?"

He smiled at her and then gently reached up and brushed the hair back from her neck. Diana couldn't believe he was acting like this. She had just been playing and he had misinterpreted it. Her eyes looked around frantically as he leaned in to her. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and then his lips against her ear. Goosebumps rose on her flesh and her breathing was rapid.

"Still want to play this game, Princess,' he whispered.

"Wh-What?"

He leaned back to see the expression on her face and couldn't help laughing.

"That's how you call a bluff, Diana."

His words took moment to filtered through her rattled mind, but as she watched him laugh her nervousness turned to anger.

"Kal!"

She pushed him away from her, practically throwing him across the Jacuzzi to the other side. He went under, but came up with a huge grin on his face. She stood up, her hands balled up into fists as she glared at him. He shifted into a sitting position and put his arms back on the rim of the Jacuzzi.

"Is something wrong, Diana,' he innocently asked.

"You-You! Aaaarrghhaaa!" She was so angry she couldn't even put it into words and just roared at him. He just continued to smile at her. She was so frustrated, she didn't know whether to scream at him or slap his face. He'd been teasing her the whole time and turning the game around on her.

"You might want to keep it down, Diana, you don't want wake up your mother or the general,' he offered.

"I can't believe you did that,' she spat out at him, mindful to keep her voice low.

"Why not," he asked. "You were doing it to me?"

"I was not!"

"Really,' he asked, giving her a look.

"It's-It's not the same,' she fumbled to say. In frustration she sat back down and crossed her arms in front of her, not even looking at him. Several replies were on the tip of his tongue, but he wisely kept quiet. He sat back and waited under she calmed down a bit. He was curiosity about what this was all about.

It took a few minutes for her anger to dissipate, but she still wasn't looking at him.

"So you want to tell me what's going on, Diana,' he gently asked.

"No."

"Please."

"No!"

"I guess I'll just have to put it down to you being hopelessly in love with me,' he teased. Diana gasped and finally looked at him. His smile was still there.

"Don't-Don't be ridiculous, Kal and stop smiling!"

"Boy, you're kind of a poor sport,' he observed.

"I am not!'

"Uh-huh,' he said. "Now do you care to explain what that was all about?"

She felt foolish being caught by him. His continuing to smile only made it worse.

"I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction," she offered.

"By flirting with me?"

"Yes."

"Just what sort of reaction were you hoping for,' he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I wanted to see if you were attracted to me,' she admitted honestly.

"I see,' he replied. He hadn't expected that answer. "You could have asked me."

"And listen to you make up some more outlandish theories about the differences between men and women,' she answered. "I thought I'd take the direct approach."

"Those were perfectly legitimate points, Diana," he said in his defense.

"They also helped you avoid the question, Kal,' she fired back.

"What's going on, Diana? Why the suddenly interested in whether I'm attracted to you or not?"

"Are you,' she asked.

"Are you,' he replied.

"I asked you first,' she quickly said.

He could see she was waiting for an answer and wouldn't be put off this time. The whole conversation seemed dangerous to him, but he decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes, I am."

"Really?"

"You seemed surprised?"

"I guess I am, a little bit,' she admitted.

"So how about you," he asked. "Are you attracted to me?'

"Yes." She said it so low it was almost a whisper. Neither of them said anything for several minutes. The only sound was the churning of the Jacuzzi.

"Are you still attracted to Bruce,' he finally asked.

"Why do you ask that,' she said, a little surprised by the question.

"I'm just trying to understand what's going on, Diana,' he said seriously. "This started because you were interested in him. So much so that you made this bet and were even willing to get married instead of giving it up. It's only been a week, Diana, are you saying your feelings have changed?"

Diana thought about this for a moment. Had her feelings changed in only a week, she wondered? As the image of Bruce came to her mind, the thoughts she'd been having about him before this started came back as well. If she were honest with herself, she knew she was still attracted to him. She couldn't deny those feelings were still there, but there were others ones as well.

Clark waited for her answer and found he was a little nervous. Part of him actually hoped her feelings had changed. He was more than a little shaken by her admission she was attracted to him, but wanted to hear what she was feeling towards Bruce before he let himself think any further along those lines.

"Diana,' he softly said. She looked up at him and for just a moment he thought she was going to say they had changed.

"Yes, Kal, I still have feelings towards Bruce, but things feel different now, 'she admitted.

He nodded as if he understood and gave her a small smile.

"It's an unusual situation, Diana," he quietly offered. "We've been thrown together in this make believe world and it's easy to forget sometimes."

"So are you suggesting my feelings towards you aren't really,' she asked. She was ready to argue with him on that point, but he didn't give her the chance.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "It's just that living with each other like we've been doing, I think it's bound to stir up emotions and confuse the issue."

"But you said you were attracted to me, too,' she pointed out.

"I guess I got caught up in it, as well."

"Like the kiss,' she asked.

"Yes, like that,' he replied.

"So are you suggesting we forget this too, just like the kiss," she asked, not liking where this was going.

"No, but I think we have to remember what's real and what's not,' he offered. "You admit you have feelings for Bruce and Lois just broke up with me. Given the situation we're in, I guess it's only natural some part of us would react to it."

"So you're saying your attraction to me is just sort of a rebound from Lois?"

"I don't know," he replied. Clark suspected that wasn't the case, but things were already more complicated then they should be.

"I see."

Diana found she didn't believe him, or at least she didn't believe his explanation. She had noticed the change in him from the moment she admitted she still had feelings for Bruce. Those feelings were all jumbled up with others now. Part of her found that once she had admitted her attraction to Kal, she wanted to pursue it. Another part wondered if this was the right time, so soon after his break up with Lois. Still another was wondering about those still lingering feelings towards Bruce.

It was all very confusing. Looking over at him, she knew what she was feeling towards him wasn't just going to go away. Maybe he could rationalize it and offer explanations as to why it wasn't real, but those rang hollow to her. Diana knew she needed to resolve her feelings first, but at the same time; she wasn't going to pretend they were there.

On the bright side, she realized time was on her side. They still had almost three weeks to go on the bet. What was real and what wasn't would become clear eventually.

"Perhaps we should call it a night,' she suggested.

"Perhaps we should."

As she stood to get out of the Jacuzzi a thought came to her mind. Three weeks meant the game they'd been playing wasn't over. She turned back towards him.

"Kal."

"Yeah,' he absently replied, his mind still going over and over what had happened. He was still sitting deep in the water and as he looked up she was moving towards him.

"Diana?"

She reached out and brushed her fingertips down his chest while holding his gaze. She could feel him tense under her touch.

"I just thought you should know something,' she whispered, her lips within inches of his. "I know you think you won our little game earlier, but you didn't. I got the answer and reaction I was looking for."

She leaned back and smiled, watching his expression.

"Just something to think about, Kal. Good night."

Diana turned and climbed out of the Jacuzzi. She picked up her towel, but didn't turn around as she walked into the house. She knew he was watching and smiled at the thought.

When she finally disappeared inside, Clark let out his breath. He glanced up at the night sky as he chewed the side of his mouth.

"For someone new to the game, she picks it up very quickly,' he mused aloud. "And she's really good at it."


	25. Chapter 25

Standing, Room Only

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl

is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. "  
- Albert Einstein –

Gotham Heights

The sun wasn't up yet, but Clark couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes a million thoughts seemed to swirl around in is brain. Questions kept posing themselves and the answers he wasn't ready to accept or didn't know. Loyalty, desire, friendship and honor were very real to him. Forces seemed to be pulling him in every direction. He understood that lives aren't lived in a vacuum, and once decisions are made they had consequences not just for one's self but others.

Getting up he slipped on his swim trunks and silently made his way towards the pool. As he walked through the living room he glanced at Diana sleeping on the couch. He quietly moved over and pulled the blanket up to cover her. She didn't wake, but snuggled down deeper into the couch. It would be so easy to fall in love with you, he thought. With a sigh, he turned and headed out to the pool.

* * *

The Watchtower

Ollie sat in the cafeteria nursing a cup of coffee. He managed to flash his trademark smile when anyone said hello, but he didn't really feel like smiling. The song lyrics, 'if you love someone, set them free' kept repeating in his head. He'd always hated that song. Letting go is never easy, as we all tend to cling to what we know.

It felt like letting Dinah go was the biggest mistake of his life.

He had seen it coming for quite some time, yet hadn't been able to do anything to stop it. He knew she was unhappy, so was he. Perhaps it was the age difference, but he'd never intended their relationship to have a mentor/student quality to it. She had just been so eager that he felt the need to protect her. It was also an ego boost; he had to admit, having a beautiful young woman look up to him like that. He got comfortable in that role. It was a mistake he realized, just like joining the League.

Ollie knew the League had a place, but he was still uneasy about it. His focus had always been on the little guy. There were plenty of others to fight the global and intergalactic threats, but so few to give voice to the voiceless. Super villains and aliens made the headlines, but to the average Joe on the street they weren't the primary threat. To them, the local corrupt officials and corporate thugs affected them far more.

He could still remember Bruce's pitch, about needing watchdogs to keep the League honest. Ollie wondered if even Bruce realized how much of a losing battle that was. The Justice League was an army in everything but name. The very set up of the place was along military lines. In many ways it fit into Bruce's vision of establishing order far more than even he probably realized. It would be so easy and not that far of a leap for this to turn into something else, a government onto itself.

Ollie knew Dinah wanted to be a part of this. She only saw the idealistic side of the League in his view. If he couldn't get her to understand how dangerous this place potentially was, then what chance did he have of convincing anyone else? Maybe that's where the divide started for them. She was much more from the Batman school of doing things than Ollie was. Ollie had always believed in a balance between his regular life and his hero life. More and more he could see Dinah was moving towards the hero part of her life at the expense of her regular life.

It was a seductive trap. Many saw the similarities between Ollie and Bruce and missed the differences. Oliver Queen was who he was and Green Arrow was just a costume he put on. Bruce was Batman; no matter what outward disguise he wore. Dinah was heading down that same path and if Ollie couldn't stop her, he wasn't going to join her. He loved her, but not at the price of giving up who he was. So he would let her go.

Others would believe it was because he was cheating on her and he wouldn't correct them. They would never know he would gladly marry Dinah, but that was out of love not a desire to change her. The way things were between them, marriage would just be a fresh coat of paint over the deep flaws in their relationship. They had become different people. She was all in, while he could never make that sacrifice.

Perhaps it was the same as when she'd trained with Wildcat and then moved on from him. Maybe what Dinah had with Ollie had run its course and now it was time to move on again. Maybe another could provide her with what she needed now. From past experience, Ollie knew not every relationship was meant forever. He'd believed his with Dinah had a chance, but now was starting to see that might just wishful thinking.

* * *

Gotham

Batman stood in the shadows watching. Below, Black Canary and Huntress were in a battle. They were winning, of course. It seemed Barbara had her Birds of Prey together again. He would not interfere, only watch. The way the fight was progressing, they really didn't need his help anyway.

His eyes followed their attack, noting the similarities and differences. Huntress was all about aggression and fury, her fighting style fueled by the rage within her. Bruce let her believe he wasn't supportive of her, but that was just so she'd keep that temper reigned in. He knew it could easily slip over the line and she would kill someone. Watching her though, he had to admit there was almost a sense of paternal pride at the fighter she was.

Black Canary was different. The aggression and fury was there, but always under control. Her tactics were much more thought out, seeing the larger picture. Since their talk, part of him had worried she would let that aggression consume her and become more like Huntress. Watching her now, he realized she was too well trained for that.

If he hadn't known it before, he saw it first hand tonight, Dinah was a natural leader. Even someone like Helena seemed to sense this and followed her. Barbara might be the brains of their operation, but Dinah was the leader. As he watched her, his mind worked along with hers, seeing what she saw and understanding each of her actions. She was thinking like he would, five steps ahead of her foe.

It struck him that she seemed to understand this world and thrive in it. Remembering her words from the other night, Bruce found himself disturbed by how comfortable she was. This was the life he'd chosen, but not something he wanted for another. Part of him still had regrets about bringing Dick into this world and hoped he choose another path. Now it seemed Dinah was making her choice. She was a grown woman, so it wasn't his place to tell her what to do, but that wouldn't stop him from worrying about her. He understood better than anyone the price Batman had cost him.

* * *

The Watchtower

A nervous Zatanna stepped down off the transporter pad. It was the first time she'd been back on the station since she'd humiliated herself in front of everyone. She'd been hiding out ever since, hoping it would blow over, but knew she would have to face it sooner or later. She was on the schedule today so there was no more hiding. Her strategy, for what it was worth, was to just pretend like it never happened.

It seemed like a good plan in her hotel room, but it sort of fell apart once she transported in. Wally and his goofball friend, Plastic Man were in the transporter room when she arrived. Shayera was at the controls and smiled at her.

"Hey, Zee, long time, no see,' Wally happily said.

"Yeah, Zee, we were being to think you'd resigned,' Shayera joked.

"No, just busy getting ready for my Gotham shows,' she replied.

"That's all well and good, but now that you're back and no longer looking to date Superman, how about taking a ride on the Plastic Love Train,' Plastic Man asked. Wally and Shayera laughed, but Zatanna just stopped and glared at him.

"What do you say, Zee? A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

She reached into the small watch pocket on her vest and pulled out a dollar bill.

"Here's a dollar,' she said to Plastic Man.

"What's this for,' he asked.

"To go away."

"Deal! A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

He turned into tricycle with horn and rolled out of the room, honking the whole way. Zee turned and looked at Wally. He had a huge grin on his face.

"What?"

"Don't I get a dollar too?"

"No."

"What? Why not? I can be just as annoying as he can," Wally protested.

"True,' Zee replied and then smacked him. "But you're a good friend, besides, smacking you always worked in the past."

"Ow! What have you been talking to Shayera,' Wally complained. "Jeez, ever since I asked her to be my date for your show, she hits me all the time!"

"What,' Zee gasped.

"It's not a date,' Shayera shouted.

"Right, whatever,' Wally replied. "Just don't hit me and you can call it whatever you want."

"It's not a date,' Shayera said a little softer to Zee.

"So you're not coming with Wally to my show?"

"No, we're coming together,' Shayera said.

"But it's not a date,' Zee asked.

"Certainly not!"

"Uh-huh,' Zee replied with a smile.

"It's not!"

"Hey, Wally, want to go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee with me,' Zee asked.

"You promise not to hit me?"

"I'll try."

"Okay."

As they were heading out the door, Zee glanced at Shayera and smiled.

"So Wally, I want to hear all about this date you two are having."

"It's not a date,' Shayera shouted, but the doors were already closed. "I hate my friends sometimes."

* * *

Gotham Heights

A rather stiff legged Hippolyta came slowly down the stairs. Her complexion was a little pallid and as she entered the sunlight of the living room, she closed her eyes and groaned.

"Good morning,' Clark offered with a smile. "Coffee?"

"Please."

"I made some breakfast, eggs with salsa.' Seeing her condition, he couldn't help joking. "They're a little runny, but good."

Hippolyta bought her hand up to her mouth, as she turned a little green at just the thought of food.

"Just the coffee, please."

"Of course, your Majesty."

He went into the kitchen with a smile. Diana had been getting the mail and walked in the front door.

"Well, you are finally up, mother,' she said. "How are you feeling after your wild night?"

"I'm certain I don't know what you're talking about, Diana,' Hippolyta haughtily replied. "I'm fine."

"Don't try it, Mother, you behavior last night was certainly not that of a Queen."

"It was a party, Diana, and I enjoyed myself,' Hippolyta countered. "I wasn't the Queen last night, remember, I was pretending to be just your mother coming for a visit."

"Still, to participate in illegal activities, mother, how am I supposed to react to that? What would are sisters say if they knew?"

"Do you have any proof I did anything illegal,' Hippolyta asked.

"You practically admitted it last night,' Diana offered.

"Did I? I don't recall specifically saying I did,' Hippolyta replied. "You just assumed I did. If you have no proof, it's just my word than isn't it? As your Queen, I say I didn't do anything I consider illegal last night. Are you going to contradict your Queen, Princess Diana?"

"That's not fair pulling rank, mother, 'Diana grumbled.

"No, but it's one of the perks of being Queen," Hippolyta said with a smile.

Clark came back at this moment, cutting off further discussion. He was carrying a tray of coffee with him.

"Coffee, your Majesty. Cream or sugar,' he asked.

"Just black, please."

"Is that coffee I smell," General Phillipus asked as she made her way down the steps.

"I have a cup for you as well, General," Clark replied. "Oh, and I burned that CD you wanted."

"Did you remember to put that song 'Brickhouse' on it? The rhythm just makes one want to dance."

"Yes, it's on there, along with Journey's 'Lights' and I included the lyrics, too,' he replied.

"Thank you, Clark."

"Well, isn't everyone chummy this morning,' Diana said in a snide tone. "So we are not going to discuss your behavior last night?"

"What about it,' Phillipus asked as she accept a cup of coffee from Clark.

"You were both out of hand,' Diana said. "You are the Queen and General of the Amazons, yet you weren't acting like it. Drinking, dancing and other things that I'm not allowed to mention."

Diana shot a look at her mother at this.

"It was a party, Princess,' Phillipus replied. "Drinking and dancing are what you do at parties. We certainly weren't the only ones."

"Yes, I thought we blended in, quite well,' Hippolyta added.

"You certainly didn't act your age, Mother,' Diana complained.

"Weren't you dancing and drinking too, Diana,' Clark asked. This earned him a glare from her. "I'll just stay out of it."

"Good, do that."

"Diana, I know you think your mother and 'aunt' are hopelessly old, but we enjoy a party as much as the next person,' Hippolyta explained. "Last night was a unique opportunity for us to just be Hippolyta and Phillipus, without all the duties and obligations of our titles."

"So we took advantage of it,' Phillipus added.

"I'll say,' Clark offered. This got him a look from all three of the women. "I'll just be quiet now. Just pretend I'm not here."

"Diana, no harm was done, was it?"

"No, but that's not the point."

'Isn't it,' asked Hippolyta. "You are pretending to be husband and wife, are you not? For one night, Phillipus and I pretend not to be Queen and General of the Amazons. Surely, if I can put up with you pretending for a whole month, you can return the favor for one night?"

"Well, when you put it that way,' Diana admitted.

Phillipus moved over and looked out the front window as a car horn sounded.

"Our ride is here, my Queen."

"So now it's back to the real world," Hippolyta said.

There were hugs all around.

"It was good to see you again, Mother and you General, even with last nights performance,' Diana said to them. "I am glad you both came to visit."

"Thank you, daughter, as am I."

"Good bye, Princess, be safe,' Phillipus offered.

"Good bye, General, I hope to see you soon."

Hippolyta was just about to leave, when she turned around and moved over to Clark. He had been hanging back, letting them have their moment. She looked at him for a moment.

"Superman, Kal-El, or Clark, I see now that no matter the name, you are a good man,' she said. "It still remains to be seen if you will keep your promise to me. If you do, then I will know you are an honorable man as well."

They held each other's eyes for a moment before he spoke.

"I will keep my promise."

The Queen did something unexpected then; she moved towards him and gave Clark a hug. Diana and Phillipus stood, stunned at this. Hippolyta stepped back and smiled at Clark.

"I find myself hoping you do. Good bye, Clark."

"Good bye, your Majesty."

* * *

Metropolis

Intergang thought this would be just a routine transfer of weapons, but that idea was quickly changed when Supergirl and Stargirl showed up. The two young heroes proceeded to kick their asses. The police arrived and the two posed for pictures. They were quite popular with the male members of the media. The Intergang members were hauled away and Supergirl and Stargirl agreed to stay around until the police special unit arrived to confiscate the weapons. This was the dull part of the job they both hated.

They were both sitting on the crates texting while they waited. Courtney gave a sigh, wishing she could be anywhere else, especially at the new club opening tonight.

"How long is this going to take? They're cops, don't they use their sirens to get through traffic faster,' she asked.

"Look, you think I want to be stuck in this crummy warehouse either,' Kara replied. "It's just part of the job, what do you want me to say?"

"God, you sound like your cousin more and more everyday."

'Oh, shut up!"

"I thought we were going to that new club opening tonight,' Courtney asked, ignoring the last comment. "That was why you invited me, remember?"

"I know, but what was I supposed to do,' Kara replied. "These douchebags decided to screw things up by transferring weapons today of all days, so we had to stop them."

"I know, it just sucks."

"Look, the van will be here any minute and then we can go. It only takes like two minutes to get there, besides you don't want to be lame showing up early do you?"

'So does you cousin know about you going tonight,' Courtney teased.

"We have a don't ask, don't tell policy,' Kara explained.

"He doesn't ask? That's kind of hard to believe."

"Okay, it's more of an ask, don't tell policy,' Kara admitted. "Besides, he's got his hands full right now, so he's not thinking about what I'm doing."

"You're so lucky,' Courtney complained. "I have to play twenty questions every time I go out. I don't think Pat trusts you."

"Well, maybe if he was living with Diana he wouldn't be so worried about what you were doing," Kara teased.

"That's still so amazing they are doing that! I mean Superman and Wonder Woman, Oh My God!"

"Do you mind keeping your voice down, Courtney,' Kara said. "I don't think everyone needs to know!'

"So do you think they're doing it,' Courtney excitedly asked.

"First, he's my cousin, Courtney, so ewww,' Kara replied, making a face at the thought. "Second, he promised the Queen he wouldn't, so no."

"It's still so romantic," Courtney said. "I always heard she liked Batman, but your cousin seems much nicer. Batman kind of scares me, to tell you the truth."

"That's his thing,' Kara offered. "He likes to scare everybody. I agree though, I think Clark and Diana are perfect for each other. Maybe spending this time in the suburbs will get them to realize it too."

"You know if they get married you'd be like Wonder Woman's sister or something."

"She already has a sister, Courtney,' Kara replied. "I'd be like a sister-in-law."

"Would that make you royalty too,' Courtney asked.

"I don't know, but that would be really cool if it did, 'Kara admitted. "Princess Kara, that has a nice ring to it."

"You're not going to start hating men are you? I mean if you become a Amazon Princess?"

"God no!"

The sound of sirens were finally heard and the two young heroes excitedly got up and ran out to greet them. they both hwanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Once they were outside, there was no one to notice a shift in the shadows behind the crates of weapons. It was an invisibility cloak and a very tall woman dressed in all black with flexible steel bands strapped around her stepped silently out. She spied Kara's phone laying on one of the crates and quickly moved over to it. Hooking it up to her mother box, she downloaded all the information. She set it back down on the crate and was about to make her escape, when a smile came to her face.

"Kal-El and Woman Woman together, that's very interesting,' she mused. "In the suburbs, no less. Yes, that is very interesting."


	26. Chapter 26

Complications

"Tender is the Night"

Gotham Heights

Diana was bored. It wasn't something she was used to, given her busy life and career. Because of the bet she wasn't on the regular schedule at the Watchtower. She'd contacted Jonn to see if they needed any help, but apparently it was a slow night. She reorganized her schedule for the Embassy and reviewed all her upcoming meetings, but that only took so long. She'd already cleaned the house twice and gone out for a long walk, yet she was still bored.

Clark was in Gotham meeting with Zatanna.

He'd asked if she wanted to come, but she had declined. Now she was rethinking her decision. They hadn't really talked about the night in the Jacuzzi. Her mother's leaving and words to Clark seemed to put a damper on that line of thinking, at least for him. For Diana's part, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She wasn't used to feeling uncertain, but this was all new territory for her.

She wondered if all women felt this confusion. Two men, both attractive in their own ways, yet still mysteries to her. That was the most startling thing; Diana was learning how little she really knew either of them. It made her wonder just how much she really knew any of her new friends in the Justice League. She didn't doubt they were heroes, that wasn't it. What she was realizing was that the people under the masks and costumes had these other lives that she'd only caught a glimpse of before.

A man like Bruce had so many layers to him, Diana was beginning to wonder if she would ever really know him or if he would let her. Living with Kal she was realizing that he was different than she imagined, as well. In just under two weeks she felt like her knowledge of him had grown so much. It wasn't that he was a different person, but it was. Little details about him, hints to the full portray were being filled in. She wouldn't have thought they mattered so much before, but now she was starting to understand.

To really know someone, you had to get to know all of him or her. It wasn't even just getting to know the good things, either. In this short time living with him, Diana already knew Clark could be frustrating, distant, overly cautious and unreadable, just to name a few things, but it was who he was. He wasn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. He certainly seemed to enjoy teasing her just a little too much and she found that irritating to say the least. He knew she didn't like him calling her Princess, yet he constantly did.

Diana was finding out that even those flaws were interesting to her. She was starting to understand that to have a relationship with someone, a real relationship was to take the good with the bad. Others might see her as perfect, but Diana knew she had her own little idiosyncrasies as well. Wonder Woman might appear perfect, but Diana certainly was not. Hers weren't as bad as Kal's she told herself, but she could admit there were probably little things she did that frustrated him.

Where they actually stood, she wasn't sure. Diana had no frame of reference for this. She was learning as she went, trying to catch up on an ever-changing landscape. She had to admit it was frightening, yet at the same time in felt exhilarating.

Diana wondered if Bruce even realized the side benefit their bet was having for her. When the idea of having a relationship first occurred to her, she imaged it like the stories she'd read, with an almost fairy book quality to it. It was a picture of white knights and damsels in magical kingdoms falling in love and living happily ever after. Maybe all young women have that image somewhere in their minds.

What she was starting to understand with this bet was that a relationship is so much more than the fairy tale. It was being vulnerable to someone else, letting your guard down so they saw all of you, the real you. The story didn't end when they ride off into the sunset, but was only beginning. A relationship was ultimately about intimacy on such a deep level and getting to know someone better than anyone else in your life. It was also about allowing the other person to get to know you in the same way. A true relationship wasn't about fairy tales, but reality. Maybe that was why so many ended, Diana thought.

Now that she knew about what a relationship could be, Diana wanted the reality, not the fairy tale. She wondered if she could have that with either man. Bruce was always holding back, shielding himself, falling into his Dark Knight persona. Diana was having doubts he would ever let anyone in that much. Kal had given her glimpses, on the farm and when he'd admitted his doubts sometimes about the goodness of people. Of all the things that had happened in their time here, that was her most cherished memory. The kiss had been wonderful, better than she would have ever imagined, but he had pulled away and not let her in. He shared that with Bruce, only Kal fell back on humor and pulled away into the mask of mild mannered Clark Kent.

Diana knew she needed to find some answers. She wasn't going to settle for the fairy tale anymore. These were the thoughts running through her mind, yet part of her was afraid of finding the answers. What if neither man could give her what she now knew she wanted? That prospect was almost worse than not knowing. It would mean she was truly alone, more alone than she'd ever felt in her life.

The other thought that had been running through her mind was what if they fell in love with someone else? They were both her friends and while she didn't know all the details, she knew there had been others in their lives. Hadn't Kal been in love with Lois and before that Lana? Bruce had dated a whole string of women, but Diana knew there had been special ones. Selina and Talia, from what she'd heard, had a rather complicated and tortured history with him. Diana wasn't so vain that she believed every man would naturally fall in love with her.

Bruce could be with someone right now. Diana knew she had no claim on him. Maybe the reason he pushed her away was because he was in love with someone else. Diana didn't know. Then there was Kal. He was with Zatanna at this moment. Yes, it was only an interview, but how could she know it wouldn't turn into something more? Yes, Kal was married to Diana, but they had never spoken about what that means. Perhaps he believed he could still date while they were married, Diana didn't know.

Zatanna was a beautiful young woman so it only seemed natural that Kal would be attracted to her. According to Wally, she'd admitted to everyone she wanted to date him. Diana wasn't sure what Zatanna's views on marriage were either. Maybe before Diana could tell them her views on marriage they would fall in love. Maybe they already had, Diana suddenly thought. The interview could have gone well and they probably started flirting with each other. Diana had seen Zatanna flirting on the Tower and she was very good at it. If the night in the jacuzzi was any indication, Kal knew what he was doing too. Maybe as the saying goes, one thing leads to another and they went back to her hotel room. Maybe they were having sex right now!

Stop, Diana told herself, don't let you mind run away with you. Hera, where did those thoughts come from, she wondered. Diana knew them both and they wouldn't do something like that. Well, maybe Zatanna would, she did always strike Diana as rather impulsive. No, she was a friend. Kal certainly wouldn't do that, Diana thought. If she learned one thing since living here with him, it was just how cautious he was. It was one of the things about him that irritated Diana, but maybe he was different with her? Maybe Kal would just throw caution to the wind and give in to temptation with Zatanna. Magic was one of his weaknesses, maybe that extended to magical women too!

NO, no, you're letting your imagination run away with itself, Diana mentally chided herself. If he was planning on something with Zatanna, why would he invite you to go along, Diana thought. Maybe he knew I wouldn't go! By the Gods, where are these thoughts coming from? It was just an interview, that's all, Diana said to herself. The boredom must be getting to you to spin such fantastic tales. You just need something to do, to take your mind off it, but what? Diana looked around the living room and her eyes finally fell on the book. Yes, she thought, I'll read for a while and before I know it he'll be back. Once he's here, I'll be sure to explain to him what marriage means to me, in no uncertain terms, Diana decided. Reading will stop all these silly thoughts from bothering me.

Resolve to get her mind off her current issues, Diana picked up the book and made herself comfortable on the couch.

* * *

_Books were stacked in every conceivable spot in the room. Once this had been the main upstairs reading room of the Royal Library but then the war had come. The Red and the White had both done their share of bomb damage to the once grand structure, but it was the Black that almost spelled its death knell. For them there was only one book and it had all the knowledge one would need. All other books were blasphemy or redundant and unnecessary. Once the shortages hit, books were in demand for other purposes._

_Avignon had taken up residence here long ago. A student until the Revolution he had a love of books. Man's greatest achievements and most profound thoughts resided in books. So many had already been lost to fanatics or the most basic human needs. This was his island against the world. In here Plato and Shakespeare still had a voice. His dreams of the Revolution might be gone, but he still believed there would be a day when these books would once again enlighten._

_He sat on his cot and drank from a wine bottle. On the table in front of him were the security reports about the murders. He had told Prefect Castor he wasn't interested, but the files had arrived anyway. Butchery, that was the only word for what he saw. War had made life cheap and let loose a monster. Avignon told himself he didn't care, that the whole rotten mess could come tumbling down around their ears and he wouldn't lift a finger to stop it. The young victim's eyes haunted him though. They were like doll's eyes staring out at nothing, their very souls ripped from them._

_As he took another drink, he could hear a key silently turn in the lock on the door. Avignon didn't even turn, just continued to drink. A few moments later, a knife pressed against his neck and he felt hot breath against his skin._

"_Are you prepared to die today,' a man whispered in his ear._

"_Yes, if you'll join me,' Avignon replied, raising his gun and pointing it at the man. A laugh erupted and the knife moved away. Avignon finally turned to see Sasha, his only friend, a former Zealot pulling off his scarf. Avignon's heart skipped a beat, as he saw she was with him, Asha. Illness seemed to cling to her frail frame, but she was still lovely in his eyes. That he had played a part in downfall still haunted Avignon._

"_Are you going to drink alone, my friend,' Sasha asked, stretching out his hand to take the bottle from Avignon. "Few things are sadder than a man drinking alone. You should thank me for not letting you suffer this horrible fate."_

"_That's not a Zealot philosophy isn't it, Sasha,' Avignon asked. He took the bait, as the other man knew he would. These two were the only bright spots in Avignon's life and never failed to rouse his spirits._

"_Bah, the Zealots or the Black, whatever name you call them, have no love of life,' Sasha explained between long drinks. "Sack cloth and ashes is the only thing they are comfortable with."_

"_And yet you were once one of them,' Avignon countered._

"_We all make mistakes, my friend,' Sasha said. "It is the truly enlightened that admit them and change."_

"_Like yourself?'_

"_Of course! Now tell me where the rest of the wine is,' Sasha asked as he finished off the bottle._

"_What are these?"_

_They both turned in surprise. It was Asha's frail voice and they so rarely heard it anymore. It was as if the ordeal in the prison had wounded her far more than the disease. She had emerged with a haunted lost look and for the most part fell silent. Avignon saw she was looking at the photos of the crime scenes._

"_There has been a series of murders,' he gently explained._

"_And that's news,' Sasha asked. "People die everyday in this place."_

"_Not like this,' Asha whispered, still holding one of the photos._

"_No, not like this,' Avignon agreed. He handed one of the to Sasha and the big man wiped his mouth as he looked at it._

"_Butchery,' he said._

"_Yes."_

"_Why do you have them Avignon,' Asha asked._

"_Prefect Castor had them delivered to me,' he explained. "He wants me to investigate."_

"_The nerve of that man," Sasha said dismissively. "Your former brothers in the Revolution have no shame. I hope you refused him, flat out."_

"_I did,' Avignon replied, still watching Asha._

"_Good, then we should speak no more of this tragedy,' Sasha said. "Ah, you don't hide the wine as well any more!"_

_He pushed some books to the side and pulled out a fresh bottle. Using his teeth, Sasha uncorked it and took a long drink._

"_This is what life should be like,' he said. Asha was still spreading the photos out with her fingers. She was trembling when she looked up at Avignon._

"_This isn't over, is it?"_

"_No."_

"_What do you mean," Sasha asked._

'_There are three victims so far, but there will be more,' Avignon said._

"_How do you know?"_

"_Isn't it obvious,' Asha said, holding up another photo. 'The killer likes what he does."_

"_Yes."_

_"You are going to save them, aren't you, Avi,' Asha asked._

"_Who?"_

"_The innocent."_

"_There are no innocent, Asha,' he replied._

"_Yes, there are."_

_

* * *

_

Metropolis – Suicide Slums

Intergang had a series of hideouts all over this part of town. They moved around out of necessity and to keep the heroes off their backs. One of their locations was hidden away in a bar, that unless you knew about it you would never find it. Currently sitting in the backroom drinking Tequila was Lashina. She was in a rather foul mood, to say the least. Since hearing the news about Kal-El and the Amazon it had only been getting worse.

Lashina was a woman of passions. They ruled her actions for the most part. As she took another swig of the liquor, she thought about Superman. Part of her hated him, but there was another part that would always want him. When he had been on Apokolips and Granny Goodness had persuaded him that he was Darkseid's son Lashina was his lover. He was everything in a man she could ever want, except for that stupid conscious of his.

When he stopping thinking the right way and went back to being the hero, he had rejected Lashina. Suddenly the passionate nights they'd spent together didn't matter any more, because he'd been brainwashed into thinking he was someone else. She wasn't Lashina, lover anymore, but Lashina, evil leader of the Furies. His rejection still burned deep inside of her.

Lashina always knew that she was the perfect woman for him, if he could just get over his issues with right and wrong, good and bad. She would never have him as long as he was the hero. One of the lessons she'd learned early on Apokolips was if she couldn't have something, she didn't want anyone else to have it either.

The thought of him with the Amazon turned the taste of the liquor sour in her mouth. Wonder Woman, the very name annoyed Lashina. She'd met the Amazon several times in battle and had to admit she was a formidable fighter, but Lashina had beaten her on more than one occasion. Yes, Wonder Woman had beaten Lashina too, but that only made her hate the Amazon all the more.

Now she was trying to take something that Lashina considered hers, Kal-El. Isn't that just like her, the pretty Princess from the Magical Island thinks she can have anything she wants. Not this time, Princess, Lashina thought. Every instinct told her to go to these suburbs and confront her right now. Lashina would teach her what it meant to try and take something from the leader of the Furies.

The only thing was that Lashina hadn't gotten to where she was by making rash decisions. Passions ruled her but cunning and intelligence guided her passions. She knew that to go and fight Wonder Woman now wouldn't get her what she wanted. It would only drive Kal-El into the Amazon's arms. In fact, if he was there, then Lashina had no chance of winning a fight against the two of them.

She couldn't call on the other Furies to help her either. If they knew she had a weak spot for Kal-El, they would use it against her. Any weakness was a liability on Apokolips. She had to find another way. As she ran over several ideas in her mind, Lashina didn't even acknowledge the door opening and the Intergang members that came in. She finally looked up at the sound of guns being drawn.

"Go away, can't you see I'm thinking,' she growled at them. "And drinking."

"I don't give a shit what you're doing, lady,' the leader replied. "You cost us several of our best guys tonight."

"If those were you best men I feel sorry for you," she snapped. "As far as tonight, it was the incompetence on your end that go them arrested. You imbeciles couldn't even manage a simple weapons transfer without being caught!"

"Don't try and put this on us,' the leader shouted. "I noticed you were there, but didn't get caught."

"Meaning?"

"It just seems a little funny, is all,' the man replied. "You're a hard broad to miss; yet the cops didn't arrest you. I was thinking it's almost like they let you go."

"If that's what you were thinking, you should stop attempting it," she replied. "You obviously don't have the head for thinking, dog."

"You know for one big bitch, you got a bigger mouth. I think I should point out there is one of you and seven of us. Oh and we got the guns."

"Yes, you really should stop thinking, it's not good for you."

"One bitch against seven, it hardly seems fair,' the man said with a laugh.

"No, it doesn't, does it,' Lashina replied, a rather wicked smile coming to her lips. They didn't even hear the first whip until it struck two of them. The second was drowned out by the screams. The rest were just a blur. It was over before it started and seven dead bodies littered the floor.

* * *

Gotham

Clark and Zatanna sat in a sidewalk café finishing up the interview. He was checking his notes and had to admit it had gone much better than he could have hoped for. She was a great interview.

"Thanks again for doing this, Zee, you're really helping me out,' Clark said.

"No problem, free publicity is always welcome,' she replied with a smile.

"True, but your shows are already sold out, so you didn't really need the added press."

'Maybe, so we'll just say you owe me one, okay,' she asked.

"Sounds like a deal."

He put his pen away and sat back to finish his coffee.

"Now I left tickets at the box office for you and Diana,' Zee said. "You guys are coming, right?"

"I'll ask her tonight, but I don't see why not."

"So how's that going, the whole being married in the suburbs thing?"

"It's not what you'd imagine,' he offered.

"How do you know what I'd imagine, ' she teased. He gave her a look, but she just smiled in return.

"Cause it's certainly not what I imagined."

"How so?'

"Well, a lot of things really,' he said. "I gave Diana her first driving lesson, which I'm still trying to recover from. There was a visit from her mother, the Queen and General Phillipus. Neighbors that think they're hippies or what they think hippies are from the movies and just too many other things to count,' he said. "Oh, and there was a visit to meet my Mom. So you can see how crazy it's been."

"You took Diana to meet your mom,' Zee asked.

"Well, it didn't start out that way, but yeah, sort of,' he replied.

"Wow, you really are a normal guy," she teased. "That's a big step isn't it? I mean taking your wife to meet you mom, it must be serious."

"Very cute. As far as normal, I don't know. but isn't that why you wanted to go out with me,' he replied, teasing her back. Zatanna gasped in shock, her face turning red and then she buried it in her hands.

"I'm going to die! You heard about that,' she groaned.

"Hard not to,' he joked. "It was the talk of the station last time I was there."

"Oh God, just kill me now. I'm going to die of embarrassment anyway!"

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad,' he offered. "I was actually flattered."

"Not that bad? That's because it wasn't you that blurted it out in front of everyone!" Zee suddenly stopped and looked up at him. "Wait. What did you say?"

"I said I was flattered."

"You were?"

"Who wouldn't be," Clark replied. "A beautiful young woman says she wants to go out with you is always nice to hear. I do have a question about your idea of normal though."

'What do you mean,' she asked.

"I've been called a lot of things, but normal usually isn't one of them,' he explained. "I mean, I'm a Kryptonian, I can fly, plus I've got countless villains and threats always looking to attack me. Not exactly what I would call normal, Zee."

"Well, if you think about it like that, yeah, but,' she started and then glanced around at the buildings surrounding them. "Wait a moment."

Zatanna raised her hands in the air and whispered an incantation.

"What are you doing?"

"I just thought it was better if we have a little privacy. It's a simple spell so no one can hear what we're saying,' she explained.

"There's no one around, Zee."

"It's Gotham, Clark, you never know what noisy person is listening, if you know what I mean."

"A little paranoid, are we,' he teased.

"You've met Bruce, right,' she asked. "Would you really put it past him to want to know what we're saying?"

"He's not that bad,' Clark said. She just stared at him. "Okay, yeah, he probably is."

"Well, see, you are normal compared to most of guys I meet,' Zee said. "I mean just think of the ones in the League alone. Bruce, great guy, but creepy stalker. Wally, he hits on everyone, some times at the same time. Plastic Man, well, he's just nuts. Lantern, G.I. Joe that can't decide which gorgeous woman he wants, so he's always kind of pissed. I don't even want to think about Constantine and his issues. Do I need to go on?"

"They are not that bad, well, maybe Plastic Man and Wally,' Clark admitted. "Okay, but I'd still hardly call me normal."

"You weren't suppose to know about that,' she exclaimed. "God, I'm so embarrassed!"

"Don't be,' he said, reaching across the table to touch her hand. "Like I said, I'm flattered, Zatanna, really. If things weren't so crazy right now, I'd probably take you up on the offer."

"You would?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you were dating Lois Lane,' Zee asked.

"I was,' Clark reluctantly said.

"Was?"

Clark really didn't want to get into this, but it was probably going to come out sooner or later.

"Yeah, I was, but she broke up with me recently."

"I'm sorry, Clark, that must have been horrible,' she said to him.

"It wasn't great,' he admitted. Clark didn't want this to turn into her feeling sorry for him, so he tried a joke to shift the focus. "I am still married though. My girlfriend may have broken up with me, but I still have the wife to go home to."

He gave Zatanna a smile and she returned it. Something about the way he said wife caught her attention.

"So you like being married to Diana?"

This caught him by surprise. He'd never thought about it that way.

"Yes, I guess, it's certainly proving to be interesting."

"What kind of wife, is she, if you don't mind me asking,' Zee asked.

"Orderly,' Clark joked.

"Come on."

"Okay, what kind of wife is Diana,' Clark mused. As he started to explain, Zee just sat back and listened. That something she heard in the way he said wife was there when he talked about Diana. Zee realized there was more going on between those two than she'd realized before. Clark tried to play it off with humor, but she could hear it in his voice. There was something definitely happening between those two. Before she could ask any more questions, though, Clark's Justice League signal went off and he answered it. Zee sat watching him with interest, wondering what the crisis was.

"Oh, Jeez, thank Jonn, I'll get there as soon as I can,' Clark said and then signed off.

"What? What is it,' Zee asked.

"It's Kara. I got to get to Metropolis right away."

"Did something happen to her,' she asked in concern.

"No, it's Toyman,' Clark replied. "Kara hates him. Apparently Kara, Stargirl and Mary Marvel are having a run in with him."

As he started to get up, Zatanna reached out and grabbed his arm.

"I'm sure she'll be able to handle it, Clark, no need to rush off."

He looked at her for a moment and then it dawned on him.

"You hate Toyman too, don't you,' he asked.

"Yes, I hope she teaches that foul mouthed puppet a lesson he won't forget,' Zatanna practically spat out. "I just wish I was there to see it!"

Clark was a little stunned by the vehemence of her reaction.

"Okay, then, I guess I'd better be going," he said. "Hopefully, Kara's not having the same reaction you are to Toyman."

* * *

Gotham Heights

The sound of the clock chimes made Diana look up from the book. It was late, much later than she thought and Kal still wasn't home. He's sleeping with Zatanna! No, don't be silly, she told herself. She was just letting her imagination run away with her, or was she? Hera, Diana, get a grip she told herself. It's probably just an emergency came up and he's pitching in. it would be nice, though, if he took the time to call his wife and let her know that he was going to be out late, she thought.

* * *

Metropolis

Supergirl, Stargirl and Mary Marvel soared over the city.

"Golly! This is so terrific being out on patrol for Superman,' Mary Marvel said, a huge grin on her face.

"God, she's so lame, why did you bring her,' Kara whispered to Courtney.

"Billy asked me if she could come and she was so excited I couldn't say no."

"Hey, why don't we all get ice cream after this,' Mary shouted to the other two.

"Great," Kara replied with a fake smile. She dropped her voice once again and whispered to Stargirl. "There is no way I'm hitting the clubs with her! No way!"

"Be nice, Kara,' Courtney replied.

"Down there,' Mary suddenly shouted. "I think that little man and his toys are trying to break into the bank."

Supergirl and Stargirl both turned to look where Mary was pointing. Kara gritted her teeth as she saw him.

"Toyman!"

She was off in a flash before the other two could stop her.

"Mary, quick, we need to get down there before Kara does anything crazy,' Courtney shouted.

"What do you mean? Why would she do anything crazy?"

"She hates him."

"Why?"

"Oh, you'll see, let's go!"

Below Toyman had his toy soldiers ready to blow the wall of the bank when he heard a rush of wind above him.

"Toyman!"

"Aahhh!" he screamed in fright at seeing Supergirl floating above him. She didn't look happy. "Hey-Hey Blondie, long-long time, ah, um, no see."

"Don't call me that, my name is Supergirl!"

"Well, that short skirt is certainly super from this angle,' he said with a smirk.

"You little pervert, stop trying to look up my skirt!"

Stargirl and Mary Marvel arrived and got between Kara and Toyman.

"Oh, great, Josie and the Pussycats have arrived,' Toyman grumbled. "What is Scooby Doo busy?"

"Kara, don't let him get to you,' Courtney said to her friend, trying to calm her down.

"You should listen to your friend, Blondie, she's talking sense,' Toyman quickly added. "By the way, honey, if those pants were any tighter I'd be able to tell you religion."

"Why you little ...,' Courtney shouted, but Mary cut her off.

"Holey Moley, you have a dirty mouth, Mr. Toyman!"

"Holey Moley? What are we in a time warp,' Toyman replied. "Did you just step out of the 1950's, sweetie? Hey, wait, you're Mary Marvel, right?"

"Yes."

"What happened to the black outfit? I loved it,' Toyman said. "It showed off that smoking little body of yours perfectly. I mean if the skirt had been any shorter it would have been a belt, sweet cheeks."

"That's it! The puppet dies,' Kara screamed.

"It was a compliment!"

"You're filthy," Mary shouted.

"Well, gee willikers, don't get your panties in a bunch, honey,' Toyman said with a laugh.

"I'm going to kill him,' Kara growled.

"Kara, don't let him get to you,' Courtney said, although she wouldn't mind a piece of him herself.

"Nice wand, babe,' Toyman said. "I've got one too, want to see it?"

"On second thought, go ahead, Kara, rip him a new one,' Stargirl snapped.

"A point of order, if you will, Blondie,' Toyman said, as Kara moved towards him.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Okay, whatever, Supergirl,' Toyman replied. "I just thought I'd point out that you can't touch me."

"And why not?"

"I haven't committed any crime yet,' he smugly explained. "No crime, no jail time. Hey that's pretty good, I just made that up. I'm a poet and didn't even know it."

"Then why do you have all these toy soldiers," Mary asked.

"I'm taking them for a walk, what's it matter? You know you should really think about going back to the black,' he suggested. "That yellow lightening bolt really drew the eye to your breasts."

Mary gasped and covered her chest with her arms.

"Shy, huh,' Toyman said with a smirk. "You know they say the shy ones are always the wildest."

"Crime or no crime, I'm kicking his ass,' Kara shouted and pushed Courtney out of the way. She hauled off to hit Toyman but Mary jumped in front of her.

"Supergirl, I know you want to, but you can't," Mary firmly said. "It wouldn't be right. You would be the one breaking the law if you hit him. I dislike admitting it, but he has a point, he hasn't committed any crime, so we have nothing to arrest him for."

"How about being a rude, dirty pervert,' Kara shouted, even as Courtney tried to pulled her back.

"Oh, yeah, I love watching hot chicks fight,' Toyman said, watching Stargirl struggle to hold back Supergirl.

"Stop it, you should be ashamed of yourself,' Mary chastised him.

"Maybe you're right, but what's a little man to do,' Toyman offered. "Since those two are into the girl on girl action, what say you and me get down and dirty right here, honey? You want Toyman to rock your world?"

Mary gasped as Toyman reached over and goosed her. She jumped away from him, her face turning red. She just stared at him for a moment, as he leered back at her.

"Why, you little son of a bitch, I'm going to put my foot so far up your ass you'll be tasting leather!"

Everything seemed to stop for a moment. Kara and Courtney stopped struggling with each other and turned in shock to look at Mary. They couldn't believe she'd said that. Even Toyman was a little taken back.

"Wow, listen to the mouth on her,' he finally said.

"Mary? I know he upset you, but remember we can't hit him because he hasn't done anything yet,' Courtney said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Fuck that! The little bastard dies,' Mary shouted, as she lunged for Toyman. He screamed and cowered behind his toy soldiers as Kara and Courtney rushed to grab Mary.

* * *

Clark flew into Metropolis worried he might be too late. Scanning the city he finally spotted them. As he landed, Toyman rushed over to him.

"Oh, thank God you're finally here,' Toyman shouted, as he hid behind Clark. "The hormonal triplets over there are crazy!"

Clark looked over and saw Kara and Courtney holding back a livid Mary Marvel. None of them seemed particularly happy. They were all shooting dirty looks at Toyman.

"What did you say to them this time,' Clark asked with a sigh.

"Nothing,' Toyman replied. "Some chicks just can't take a compliment."

"Let me go, I'm going to rip his little dick off,' Mary screamed.

"See,' Toyman said. Clark couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Mary?"

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana couldn't read any longer and was pacing the living room. It was after midnight and Kal still wasn't home. She'd checked the Internet but there was no reports of Superman helping anywhere in the world. She wanted to call the station again but had already done that four times. He hadn't called once to let her know where he was or why he was late. He's sleeping with Zatanna, Diana thought. He's a married man and he's sleeping with someone else!


	27. Chapter 27

Communication Breakdown

"Push me, Pull you"

The Watchtower

Kara and Courtney stood nervously watching the door to one of the smaller conference rooms. On the other side they could still hear Mary Marvel screaming obscenities and trashing the place.

"So what are we going to do, stay out here all night,' Kara asked.

"We can't let her go home like this, Kara,' Courtney replied. "Billy would have a heart attack if he heard the things coming out of her mouth."

"Why don't you try talking to her, maybe you can settle her down,' Kara suggested.

"I already tried,' Courtney said. "I asked if she wanted to get some ice cream and she told me 'to go –F- myself."

"Go -F- yourself?"

"I promised Pat I'd try and not swear,' Courtney admitted.

"Good luck with that,' Kara teased.

"Screw you!'

"So much for not swearing."

"That's not swearing, technically,' Courtney countered. "Besides, this isn't getting us any where with Mary in there."

"Well, if she won't listen to us, maybe we could get one of the senior members to talk to her,' Kara suggested. "Scare her straight, or something."

"Batman,' Courtney replied. "He scares the shit out of everyone!"

"You are really piss poor at the promise thing, aren't you,' Kara observed. "Anyway, Batman's not here."

"Wonder Woman?"

"She's not here either,' Kara said with a shake of her head. 'Jonn's still here?'

"I don't want to do anything freaky with her mind, just calm her down, Kara."

"Yeah, he kind of creeps me out too,' Kara admitted. "So who does that leave?"

"I saw Plastic Man earlier,' Courtney suggested.

"I don't think telling Mary dirty jokes would help the situation,' Kara replied. "This is really that dirty little pervert Toyman's fault! If you'd just let me kick his ass like I wanted to we wouldn't be in this situation."

"You'd be in jail now, Kara,' Courtney stated. "You'd probably be someone's prison bitch by morning."

"Prison bitch? What world are you living in, Courtney?"

"I watched this old movie Caged Heat the other night, I guess it kind of stuck in my head,' Courtney said with a blush.

"Pat doesn't want you to swear but he's fine with Women in Prison movies?"

"He watched it too and really liked it,' Courtney replied.

"I'll just bet he did,' Kara said with a smirk. "Look, we need to calm her down. I'd take any of the original members at this point."

At that moment, Wally came around the corner. He immediately smiled at his two younger teammates.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?"

Kara and Courtney looked at each other and then turned to Wally with big smiles.

"What?"

"We need a favor, Wally,' Kara said sweetly.

They were being too nice, Wally thought, which put him on alert.

"What kind of favor?"

"We need a senior member to go in and calm Mary done," Courtney explained.

"Of course we thought of you first,' Kara added with a big smile.

"You make me nervous when you smile like that, Kara," Wally said. He turned to Courtney. "So what's the problem with Mary anyway?"

"Listen."

Wally looked at both of them and then moved over and listened the noise coming from the conference room. He actually blushed as he stepped quickly away.

"That's Mary? Mary Marvel? The sweet innocent kid that still calls me Mr. Flash?"

"Yep,' Kara said.

"I didn't even know she knew words like that,' Wally gasped. "I'm not even sure I do, well, at least not in those combinations. How would she even get your head back there in the first place? I don't think that's anatomically possible."

"She's rip it off and make it fit,' Kara replied. Wally went a little pale at the thought and took another glance at the door.

"Why me?"

"You are a founding member and Mary respects you,' Courtney explained. Both Wally and Kara snorted in laughter at this.

"I didn't say I did," Courtney said in exasperation. "We need someone to scare her straight before she goes over the deep end. Well, further over the deep end. We don't want her to become evil Black Mary again, do we?"

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"So what do you say Wally,' Kara asked.

"I don't know, I'm not really the scary type.'

'Just do your best Batman impression,' Kara offered. "I know you do one and it's really good."

"You think? I have worked on it,' Wally said. "It takes awhile to get the right gruffness in the tone, but I think I'm pretty good."

"So you'll do it,' Courtney asked.

"Yeah, why not, I'll give it a shot."

"Okay, we'll lock the door after you go in," Kara said. Wally started to nod, but then a thought occurred to him.

"Isn't she like as strong as Captain Marvel or something?"

"Technically,' Kara said, still urging Wally towards the door.

"Why don't you just leave the door unlocked, just in case,' Wally said, as he was starting to have second thoughts about this.

"Oh, don't be a puss, Wally, get in there,' Kara growled.

"You know, you are nothing like you cousin," he replied. "Big Blue's much nicer."

"I'm cuter," Kara fired back.

"Well, that's true, hey!"

The door opened and he was shoved rather unceremoniously into the room.

"What,' Mary snapped, turning to look at him. Wally glanced around the room nervously. It was a shambles with everything smashed to bits. Boy for a little thing, she can do some damage, he absently thought. When she crushed a chair and took a step towards him Wally's focus once again centered on her. Here goes nothing, he thought.

"That's quite enough, young lady! I don't know how you were raised, but this behavior will not be tolerated! I expected better manners from you!"

Mary stopped dead in her tracks, a look of shock on her face. Not bad if I say so myself, Wally thought. Feeling his confidence soar, Wally pushed ahead.

"Now if you can't behave like a civilized young woman, I'm going to have to personally kick you out of the Justice League!"

Mary dropped the mangled chair she was holding and bowed her head.

"Please don't do that, Mr. Flash."

"That's more like it. Now I don't want any more of this, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

The door behind Wally opened and Kara and Courtney peaked inside.

"Is it safe,' Courtney asked.

"Yeah, come on it,' Wally said with a grin. "You know I really think I've got the Batman impression down! I almost scared myself for a moment there."

While Wally was gloating, he didn't see the look on Mary's face once more turn into one of rage.

"You were playing me, you son of a bitch,' she shouted and then lunged at Wally.

"Aaaiieee!" Wally squealed and moved out of the way at the last minute. Kara had to rush forward to tackle her, but Mary somehow got a hold of Wally's leg.

"AAAIIIEEEEE! Get her off me! Get her off me!"

Kara managed to pry Mary's fingers off Wally's leg and he zipped several feet away.

"Let me go, damn it,' Mary shouted and continued to reach for Wally. Kara ended up wrestling her to the ground and Courtney jumped on top.

"Ow! Damn it, Courtney, watch where you put your knees,' Kara groaned, as she struggled with Mary.

"What the hell, she's a wild woman again,' Wally gasped, backing up a few more feet.

"Would you do something besides squeal like a little girl and help me,' Kara shouted. "I can't hold her forever!"

"I didn't squeal like a little girl,' Wally said in his defense. "Let's not be dramatic. I was just caught off guard, is all."

"She's not getting any easier to hold here, Wally!"

"Right! Right, I'll get someone!"

He disappeared from the room as Kara and now Courtney tried to restrain Mary.

"Let me go, you bitches,' Mary shouted.

"I am not a bitch, take it back,' Courtney said. She had a hurt look on her face as she stood up and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Courtney, what the hell,' Kara gasped, struggling to keep Mary on the ground.

"That was just really rude,' Courtney sniffed. "It's one thing to say nasty things to Toyman, but I'm supposed to be your friend, Mary!"

"Courtney! If you don't help me hold her down, I'm going to call you a lot worse than bitch, now get over here,' Kara shouted.

The door opened and Jonn stepped in the room, followed by Wally. He seemed to survey the scene for a moment.

"That's enough, Mary, stop this at once,' Jonn said in a calm, even voice.

Almost immediately Mary stopped struggling and looked at him.

"Sorry, Mr. Jonzz."

"That's all right, Mary," Jonn replied. "Supergirl, you can let her up now."

"Are you sure,' Kara asked.

"Yeah, are you sure,' Wally added. He was peaking out from behind Jonn, still a little nervous about Mary.

"Yes,' Jonn replied. Kara slowly got off of Mary and stepped to the side. Mary got up from the floor and just stood there.

"Come with me, Mary and we'll talk about this, all right,' Jonn asked.

"Okay,' Mary replied. "Can we have some ice cream, too?"

"Absolutely, I have some Oreo cookie ice cream I've been dying to try."

The two of them walked out of the room, leaving Kara, Wally and Courtney stunned and shocked.

"God, she told me to go –F- myself when I offered her ice cream,' Courtney complained.

"Go –F- yourself?" Wally said as he turned and gave Courtney an incredulous look. Kara gave her a look as well.

"I promised I'd try not to swear, okay,' Courtney said in her defense. "Rome wasn't built in a day, you know!"

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark pulled the car into the garage and turned it off. It was late and had turned out to be a later night than he expected. One of these times he wasn't going to save Toyman and just let the chips fall where they may. How such a tiny guy could get women so pissed was amazing.

He pressed the button on his keychain to close the garage door and walked up the front steps. Clark figured Diana was already asleep, so he tried to be as quiet as possible. As he put his key in the front door, Clark stretched and gave a little yawn. He was really looking forward to some sleep without any more drama tonight.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of Diana standing her nightgown and robe waiting for him. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she was tapping her foot.

"Oh, you're still up,' he said in surprised as he walked inside.

"Yes."

Her voice was calm, almost too calm.

"Couldn't sleep," he asked.

"No."

He closed the door and started to walk into the living room, but she didn't move.

"Diana?"

"Where have you been,' she asked.

"Ah, for the last hour or so, Metropolis."

"They don't have phones in Metropolis," she asked, still keeping her voice even and neutral.

"Of course they do,' he said with a smile. He stepped around her and walked into the living room. Diana was right behind him.

"So you just didn't feel the need to use any of them?"

"Not really,' Clark offered, moving a little further away from her. "It was just Toyman and his life was in more danger than anyone else. By the way, could you talk to Mary Marvel next time you see her? The things she was saying tonight would make a sailor blush."

"Mary Marvel,' Diana said in confusion. "Why were you with Mary Marvel?"

"Toyman,' Clark replied. "Kara was with Courtney and Mary and they had a run in with him. It took an hour just to convince them not to kill him."

"So you've been in Metropolis for the last hour or two,' Diana asked.

"Yeah and I got to tell you, I'm bushed. I think I'm just going to call it a night and hit the hay."

"You had a strenuous night, did you,' Diana asked, as she slowly started to boil.

"Yeah, tonight was a real workout, really more mental than anything,' Clark offered as he started up the stairs. Diana was right behind him. He entered the bedroom and opened the drawer to grab his pajamas and again noticed Diana was standing really close to him.

"Um, since you're up, would you mind if I change in this bathroom?'

"Go ahead,' she said. "I'm sure you want to get out of those soiled clothes, don't you?"

There was a tone in her voice that sounded a bit off to Clark, but then he thought he must have been imagining things.

"I don't know about soiled, but it will be nice to change into something clean,' He offered. "In fact, I think I'll take a quick shower too."

"Washing away the evidence,' Diana muttered under her breath.

"What was that?'

"Nothing."

"Okay, then,' Clark said with a shake of his head. Something was going on with Diana, but he didn't know what. He figured she'd tell him sooner or later, so he headed into the bathroom. He was just about to close the door when he noticed she was standing in the way.

"Ah, Diana, I'm going to shower and change, do you mind,' he said. She didn't respond, but did take a step back. "Thanks."

The door closed and Diana felt like smashing it down. He was going to pretend nothing happen she thought. Now she was livid. She could smell the perfume on him. Although, she had to admit the fragrance, Harajuku Lovers G by Gwen Stefani seemed an odd choice for Zatanna. No matter, Diana thought, it's on him and that can only mean one thing! She balled up her fists in anger. It's bad enough he's cheating on me, she thought, but he didn't even have the decency to call! That was simple politeness in her mind.

No, don't get ahead of yourself, she thought, maybe there is a reasonable explanation that doesn't involve Kal sleeping with Zatanna. She couldn't think of one, but then she had never been in this situation before. Everything about it was new, especially the emotions. She was angry and hurt and a million other things all at once. What's taking him so long, she wondered? Diana started to pace back and forth, running over all the possible questions that were on her mind. This did nothing to lessen her temper.

She heard the water shut off and immediately went over to the door. She waited. For someone supposedly almost as fast as Wally, he was taking an awfully long time, she grumbled. Finally the door opened and Diana couldn't wait any longer.

"Are you sleeping with Zatanna,' she blurted out.

"Wh-Wh-What,' Clark managed to say, completely caught off guard by the question.

"It's a simple question, Kal, are you or aren't you?'

"Where did this come from, Diana,' He asked, more than a little confused.

"Are you going to answer the question, "Diana demanded. "I think as your wife I'm entitled to know, don't you?"

"No, no, I'm not sleeping with Zatanna, Diana,' Clark finally said. "I'm not sleeping with anyone at the moment."

"Then where were you all night?"

"I was in Gotham and then …"

"With Zatanna,' Diana pointed out.

"Are you jealous, Diana,' Clark asked.

"Wh-What? Of course not, don't-don't be ridiculous,' she stammered to say. "I was worried, you didn't even think to call to let me know you were going to be late! For all I knew you could have been injured or doing heaven knows what or who!"

"Now that sounds like jealousy to me, Diana,' Clark said with a smile. He stepped around her and went over to the bed.

"I'm not jealous! I just want you to be honest with me,' she stated.

"Okay,' Clark said with a sigh. "I went to Gotham and did the interview with Zatanna and only the interview with Zatanna. I got a call that Toyman was in Metropolis and Kara hates him. I flew there and just managed to make it before Kara, Courtney and Mary tore him limp from limp. I finally got that situation settled down and then I came back here. That's it, that's what I did tonight, satisfied?"

"You still could have called,' she grumbled.

"I'm sorry, I'll remember next time, okay?"

"Very well."

"Okay then," Clark replied. "Now if it's all right, I'm going to try and get some sleep."

"Go ahead, I'm not stopping you,' she said with a tone.

Clark looked at her for a moment and then just shook his head. He climbed into bed and stretched out. Diana stood there for a moment. She was still upset and unsatisfied by how that had gone, but reluctantly walked over to her side and climbed under the covers. Clark reached up and turned out the light.

"Good night, Diana."

"Good night, Kal."

Clark rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. Diana was lying on her back and she glanced over at him. His back was to her. She sighed and tried to sleep but her emotions were all over the map.

"You know if you did sleep with Zatanna, you could tell me Kal,' she finally said.

He rolled over and looking at her in the dim, moonlit room.

"I didn't sleep with Zatanna, Diana, why would you think I did?"

"Well, she is a very beautiful woman,' Diana offered.

"Yeah, that's true,' Clark admitted. He received a punch in the arm for this. "Ow."

"You didn't have to agree so fast, Kal."

"Sorry."

They were silent again. Clark waited for more, but when it didn't come, he closed his eyes.

"It's common knowledge on the station she wants to go out with you,' Diana finally said.

"Yes, I know,' Clark said, not opening his eyes.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, I told her I was flattered."

"What did she say?"

"She was embarrassed mostly,' he replied. "I told her not to be."

"So you flirted with her?"

"I guess, a little."

"And she flirted with you?"

"I suppose."

The lights came on and when Clark opened his eyes, Diana was hovering over him.

"Yes,' he said. "I take it you have something you want to say?"

"I don't like you flirting with other women while we're married, Kal,' Diana firmly said.

"You mean pretending to be married, don't you?"

"We've been over this, Kal, our marriage is official by Themysciran law."

"We're not on Themyscira, Diana."

"That doesn't matter," Diana replied. "We were married there so it applies."

Clark was wide-awake now.

"You know, no one told me all these details back then."

"Well, be that as it may, I'm telling you now,' Diana said. "I take marriage very seriously, Kal, and I hope you do to."

"I'm starting to,' he said. He sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "So what else about our 'marriage' should I know, Diana?"

"You don't have to say it like that,' she groused.

"No, please, tell me, let's be clear about his,' Clark replied.

"Well the rules are pretty much the same as any other marriage, Kal. No dating being one of them."

"And no flirting?"

"No,' Diana said firmly.

"So does that go both ways,' he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, isn't this whole bet so you can go out with Bruce? Do these marriage rules mean you can't flirt or date anyone too?"

"I'm not dating anyone, Kal, you know that,' Diana answered.

"But you want to."

"I-I never said that."

"Now who's memory is a little foggy,' he replied. "It seems to me all these rules are for me, but not you, Diana. That doesn't seem very fair."

"I wasn't the one that spent the night with another woman, Kal," Diana fired back.

"But you want to spend time with another man, don't you,' he countered. "Isn't that why I'm here helping you win this bet?"

"That-that has nothing to do with right now," she said. "I'm not the one flirting and spending the whole night with another woman! One that has openly said she's interested in dating you!"

"So you are jealous,' Clark said with a smile.

"Oh, shut up,' Diana grumbled. "Stop trying to change the subject!"

"That's a lovely shade of green you're wearing, Diana,' he teased.

"You are not funny and stop smiling,' Diana shouted. "I can see it's impossible to have a conversation with you. Good night!"

She reached over and turned out the light and turned away from him in a huff. He gave a little chuckle in the dark and she reached back and slapped him.

"Ow, careful, Diana, that was a little close."

"I know,' she said.

He reached over and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Diana?"

She didn't turn to look at him.

"Diana, come on,' he said. "Please?"

Finally she turned over to look at him.

"I'm not cheating on you with Zatanna. She's just a friend, okay? I told her while I was flattered things were too crazy right now for me to date anyone. I also said besides, I'm married at the moment. She understands and actually wished us luck, so there's nothing to worried about, okay?"

Diana suddenly felt relieved for some strange reason. All the unfamiliar emotions that had been swirling around in her mind seemed to vanish.

"I'm also sorry I didn't call,' he whispered. "Next time I will, promise."

"Thank you, Kal."

"You're welcome,' he said with a smile. "Now why don't we get some sleep? You have nothing to worried about, okay? I made a promise to see this through, so for the whole thirty days I'll play by the rules and act like your husband."

"Okay,' she said.

They looked at each other and then finally rolled over to go to sleep. As Diana lay on her side thinking how silly all her worries had been, a thought suddenly entered her mind. Thirty days. She'd almost forgotten they were only going to be married for thirty days. Her smile disappeared.


	28. Chapter 28

Tempo

"It always starts with words. Words matter."

Gotham Heights

A rather sleepy Diana was suddenly roused by the text tone on her phone. Ride of the Valkyries was a bit jarring. Through half opened eyes, she looked at the window and saw it wasn't even light out yet. Groaning, she reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone. There was a new message.

**- Couldn't sleep, so I got up and went downstairs. Just wanted you to know where I am – C.**

Diana slammed the phone down and buried her head back in the pillow. He thinks he's funny, she thought, still half asleep. Pulling the covers up tight around her chin, Diana took a deep breath and started to fall asleep again.

How much time had passed she didn't know, but once again she was roused by Ride of the Valkyries.

"Hera help me,' Diana muttered as she reached over and picked her phone up again. There was another message from him.

**- Having breakfast now. Pancakes, yum! Just wanted to let you know – C.**

Muttering to herself, Diana turned off the ringer and slammed the phone back down on the nightstand. She was just about to close her eyes, when she saw the phone light up once more. She lay there watching her phone do a little dance as it vibrated, until finally she picked it up. There was another message from him.

**- Almost forgot, having coffee too. Just wanted to let you know – C.**

Diana tossed the phone back on the nightstand and turned away from it. She saw his side of the bed was empty and absently thought he was lucky he wasn't there, or she'd hit him, hard. Diana reached over and grabbed his pillow and stacked it on top of her own. She could smell him on it, but found it rather comforting. She closed her eyes and started to fall asleep again. It may have been ten minutes or fifteen, but she slowly became aware of her phone dancing on the nightstand again. The surface was glass, so the vibrating phone made a little tapping noise. Diana tried to ignore it, but her hearing was very, very good. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction; she thought and refused to turn over. The phone continued it's little dance. Tap-tap-tap.

"Damn him,' she said, finally giving in and reaching for the phone. As she suspected, it was another message from him.

**- Breakfast was great! I'm changing into my swim trunks now and will be going out to the pool to swim some laps. Just letting you know where I am – C.**

Diana slammed the phone down and almost a growl came from her throat. She couldn't close her eyes, as she knew what was coming. She lay there staring at the phone waiting. It took several frustrating minutes but finally the phone began to dance once more. She grabbed it and glared at the tiny screen.

**- In the pool now, water's perfect! Just wanted you to know where I am – C.**

Throwing back the covers, Diana sat up and grabbed her robe. She threw it on as she headed out the bedroom door. Muttering to herself, Diana stomped down the stairs and headed towards the patio. She nearly jerked the door off the hinges as she opened it and stepped outside. He was just finishing a lap at the end nearest her and stopped at the edge of the pool when he saw her. He gave her a big smile. Diana glared at him.

"Morning, you're up early,' Clark pleasantly said. Diana was gritting her teeth as she glanced around and saw his phone on the patio table. She moved over and picked it up. She dropped it on the cement and then slammed her foot down on it, grinding her heel until it shattering into many pieces. She shot him a look and then started to storm back into the house.

"You're very beautiful when you're angry,' he said. Diana stopped and turned, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

"What,' he innocently said. "I'm not allowed to flirt with anyone else, remember? Nice legs, by the way."

He pushed off the side of the pool with a big smile and slowly did the backstroke towards the other end. Diana looked at him for a moment and then turned and walked back into the house. Despite herself, a little smile spread across her lips.

* * *

The Watchtower

Oracle had sent up the latest data on the Lost Souls motorcycle gang and Dinah was scanning it for clues. She had a pencil in her hand and was circling bits of information she thought were important. Across the room from her, Jonn and Wally were discussing the upcoming schedule and Wally as trying to get out of several weekend shifts. Dinah was looking for connections between the gang's movements. The chuga-chuga sound followed by toot-toot caused her to close her eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. When she looked up Plastic Man was right in front of her grinning. He was a toy train at the moment.

"Yes?"

"Hey boss!"

"Did you want something,' she asked.

'Heard you got info on the bad guys, _mon rare_ and I'm ready to go,' he excitedly said.

"First of all, it's _mon frère_, not _mon rare_. Second that means my brother." Dinah corrected him.

"You say tomato, I say Swiss cheese."

"That makes no sense."

"Gotcha,' he replied. "So when do we go?"

"There is no we, Plastic Man. Never was, never will be,' she explained.

"But you are starting to like me right? I can sort of tell. I grow on people!"

"No, no I'm not,' Dinah replied. "Look, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you and me, us, isn't going to happen."

Wally and Jonn stopped talking and turned to watch.

"Why not," Plastic Man asked.

"Look, let's just say it's me not you,' Dinah tried to diplomatically offered.

"If you're worried you'll fall for me, I understand,' Plastic Man replied.

"Yeah, that's not it. I hate to say this, but I really don't like you."

"You don't? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm really sure,' Dinah said. "I'm sorry, but it's almost organic or something, you just irritate me."

"Irritate or interest,' he asked with a smile.

"Definitely irritate."

"You know I'm not as crazy as everyone thinks,' he whispered to her. As if to belie that, he turned himself into a pogo stick and starting bouncing up and down in front of her. Dinah took a moment to stay under control. She bent her head forward, pressing her thumb and index finger against the bridge of her nose right between her eyes.

"Yes, yes you are,' she finally said.

"Apple and mangos,' Plastic Man replied. "One man's crazy is another man's haircut. So when do we leave for Gotham?"

"WE are not leaving for Gotham,' Dinah forcefully said. "WE are not going anywhere together. There's no WE, got it?"

Plastic Man looked at her for a moment and then his grin turned into a frown. He changed into a little toy red wagon and slowly started to head for the door. Dinah felt horrible and was about to say something, but one of the wheels on his wagon was the off kilter kind and gave off little squeaks. Squeak-squeak-squeak, the sound seemed to bore into her brain and irritate her. Why couldn't he just do a regular wagon, why the squeaky one, she wondered? He was doing it just to irritate her, she just knew.

The door closed behind him and Dinah was about to get back to her data when she noticed Jonn and Wally looking at her.

"What?"

Jonn gave her the same placid look he always did, but Wally's was one of disappointment.

"You've changed, Dinah,' Wally said.

"That did seem a bit cold,' Jonn observed.

"What? I was trying to be nice,' Dinah exclaimed.

"Maybe that's why Ollie dumped her,' Wally said to Jonn.

"He didn't dump me, I broke up with him!"

"You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart,' Wally said with a smirk.

"All right, Wally, that's it! You just made my list!"

Dinah glared at him and pointed her finger. Wally took a step back, a little nervous by her reaction.

"I'm having no luck with the ladies lately, have you noticed,' he whispered to Jonn.

"Perhaps it is your tone,' Jonn suggested.

"You think? Hey, speaking of Plasty, did he tell you the one about the two blondes in a parking lot trying to unlock the door of their car with a coat hanger. The First Blonde says: _"I can't seem to get this door unlocked! _So the Second Blonde says: _Well you better hurry up. It's starting to rain and the top is down! _Ha-Ha_! _Oh, man that just killed me when I heard it."

"Yes, I liked that one as well,' Jonn said with a smile. "I like the imagery of it."

Dinah stared at them for a moment, then silently picked up her papers and stomped out of the room. Wally and Jonn watched her go.

"She's very tense lately, have you notice,' Wally observed.

* * *

Gotham

Bruce came down the main staircase dressed in all black. Alfred was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"You are up early, Master Bruce."

"Yes, I've behind on some important work and want to catch up. I don't want to be disturbed by anyone, Alfred,' Bruce replied. "I'm going to lock myself in and set all the alarms, just in case you know who decided to pop in again."

"Are you speaking of…

"Yes,' Bruce said, cutting him off. "So if anyone and I mean anyone wants to see me, just tell them I'm too busy right now, okay?"

"As you wish sir."

"Thanks, Alfred. I've been trying to get to this work for almost a week and now it's critical, so I hope you understand."

"Of course, sir."

Bruce gave him a rare smile and then headed down to the Batcave.

* * *

Metropolis

In an organized crime situation, the usual way of moving up is a death or committing a crime that impresses your superiors. It's a time-honored tradition of making your bones, as it were. Three of Intergang's most junior members got it in their mind that taking out Lashina was their ticket to the big time.

They weren't aware the rule on Apokolips was that only the strong and smart survive.

As she dragged Donny by his leg out from the table he'd been hiding under, he suddenly had an epiphany. Perhaps this wasn't the life for him. When she easily held him off the ground by the same leg and reared back her fist, he was sure of it.

"Please! Don't kill me, Lashina, please! Give me a second chance, I'll change my ways!"

She stopped for a moment, as his words seemed to trigger something in her mind. _A second chance, change my ways, _yes that is what I've been looking for, she thought. She actually smiled at the little man she was holding.

"Thank you, that was a big help to me,' she said.

"So you're not going to kill me?"

"Oh no, I'm going to kill you," She replied. "I just wanted to let you know I appreciate your help before I did."

* * *

Gotham

Zatanna and Constantine were sitting in an outdoor café having lunch. It was much nicer than the previous time, so naturally she was paying.

"You should really try the truffles, they are divine,' he said between mouthfuls. "I can remember the last time I had them."

"Probably the last time I paid for lunch,' she snapped.

"Well, I did paid last time,' he pointed out.

"Greasy spoon versus four star restaurant, I don't think that's quite the same."

"Well, I know you like the best,' he offered with a smile. She gave him a look, but let it go.

"So have you heard anything from Mr. E,' Zatanna asked.

"Na, apparently he's still trying to live the 'normal life,' Constantine replied. "How about you, heard anything from the Stranger?"

"No, but then he just sort of pops up now and then,' Zee said. "Nimue still hates him, though."

"Ah, Madame Xanadu, I always fancied her,' Constantine mused. "Still hot and sexy after thousands of years."

"You go near her, Constantine and I swear I'll make you wish you'd never met me!"

"Okay, relax, it was just an observation,' he said. "You are so touchy about her."

"Well, she helped raise me,' Zee said.

"Is she going to be at your show,' he asked.

"Why?"

"Just curious,' he off-handedly said. "I'd like to go myself, but alas, all the tickets are sold out."

"You want freebies, is that what you're not so slyly implying?"

"Since you mentioned it, yes."

"Why should I,' she asked.

"Old time sake?"

"Try again,' Zee replied as she dug into her lobster salad.

* * *

Gotham – Wayne Mansion

Alfred made his way to the front door as the chime rang again. He opened it to find Dinah standing there.

"Miss Lance, a pleasure to see you."

"You too, Alfred,' Dinah replied. "Is Bruce here? I wanted to ask him about some reports Oracle sent me."

"He is, Miss, but I'm afraid he doesn't want to be disturbed," Alfred explained. "He's sealed himself off below."

"Can't you call him or something? This is really important."

Alfred looked at Dinah and could see she wasn't going to leave unless she spoke with Bruce. Reluctantly he stepped to the side and let her in. She followed him down the hallway to the library, where he pressed the extension to the Batcave. He put it on speaker.

"Yes?" Bruce's voice came over the speaker.

"Sorry to interrupt, Master Bruce, but Miss Lance is here and rather insistent on speaking with you."

"Did you tell her I didn't want to see anyone?"

"Yes, he did, Bruce," Dinah said, cutting in. "I want you opinion on some data Barbara collected on the gang. Think I found some connections, but I'd like you to look at it."

There was a long pause on the line.

"I'm sort of in the middle of something right now, Dinah. Why don't you send it to me? I'll look at it and get back to you later tonight."

She was about to say more, but the line went dead.

"He hung up on me,' she said in shock. "That prick!"

"I know, Miss, but there's really nothing to do about it,' Alfred offered. "I promise to make sure he gets back to you."

Dinah looked at Alfred and then the phone. She couldn't believe this, but there was nothing she could really do. If Bruce was in the cave with all the security turned on, there was no way she could get passed it and down to him. Reluctantly, she realized she was just going to have to accept it.

"All right, thank you, Alfred,' Dinah finally said. "I don't like it, but don't really have an alternative."

"Again, my apologies, Miss."

With nothing left to say, Dinah left the mansion.

* * *

The Watchtower

Wally finally found Plastic Man in the back of the cafeteria. He wasn't easy to spot at first, as he made himself into a table and chairs. The fact that they were red, yellow and black was sort of a give away though. Wally pulled up a chair from another table and sat down next to Plastic Man.

"Hey, buddy, how you doing?"

"Great!"

Plastic Man's face appeared in the center of the table with a huge grin.

"Really?"

'You betcha! Everything's coming up tulips for me!"

"So Dinah shooting you down earlier didn't bother you,' Wally asked.

"She didn't shoot me down."

"Um, yeah, she did, buddy, I was there and it wasn't pretty."

"Maybe to the untrained eye it looked like she shot me down, but she really didn't."

"I'm kind of an expert on women turning me down and trust me, she turned you down, buddy,' Wally said.

"That's only what she wanted you to think."

"Huh?"

"She's delicate."

"Dinah?"

"She's very fragile and reserved,' Plastic Man said.

"Are we talking about Dinah,' Wally asked.

"She's shy around others and embarrasses easily."

"Black Canary? Dinah Lance, is that who we are still talking about,' Wally asked.

"She can already feel herself warming up to me and it scares her,' Plastic Man continued. "I just have to prove to her that I'm worthy of her love!"

"Have you met Dinah? I think she was pretty clear about her feelings, buddy."

Plastic Man wasn't listening any more and began to sing.

"_Hey ho, Uncle Joe, the lights went out_

_and the tables and the chairs all began to dance about!_

_What a night, we all shout,  
_

_The back of my front. The back of my front!_

_It ain't no stunt! If I can be so blunt.  
_

_The back of my front! The back of my front!"_

Wally moved back as Plastic Man began to make his chairs dance around the table. Finally Wally just shook his head and walked away, the sound of the song filling the air.

"_THE BACK OF MY FRONT! EVERYBODY, SING ALONG!"_

_

* * *

_

Gotham

Diana was making her first shopping trip out alone. Kal had told her about the invitation to Zatanna's show and she agreed to go. She believed him that he wasn't sleeping with Zatanna, but Diana decided to get a new dress for the occasion. She wasn't jealous, but she decided she wanted to look her very best for that evening.

Her two previous experiences at shopping had been with the other women of the League and with Kal. They had both been rather enjoyable. Credit card in hand, Diana decided to come to Gotham to look in some of the more exclusive stores. She felt rather exited as she started driving towards the city.

Traffic put a bit of a damper on her good mood. On the freeway she got stuck behind an old couple in a very nice large car driving rather slow in the fast lane. They seemed completely oblivious to the speed limit, doing 45 in a 65. Cars raced by them and Diana had trouble getting back over as traffic picked up closer to Gotham. She didn't want to be rude, but it felt like she was crawling they were going so slow. Finally she saw an opening and gunned it, flying by the old couple.

She found her exit and headed towards downtown. Unfortunately it was the end of the school day and she got behind a bus. Every time she was about to pass it, the school bus would put on its signal. It was almost like the driver was trying to play with her. Yes, children kept getting off, but when they came to any railroad tracks the bus would come to a dead stop. There wasn't a train for miles in either directions, yet the bus stopped, turning on its signals so she couldn't pass and then seem to wait several moments before starting again.

It seemed to take forever, but finally she got downtown and parked her car in a lot. The young man was very nice, although he seemed to have some sort of social anxiety disorder Diana theorized. He was sweating and stammering, while blushing severely every time Diana spoke to him. She did think it was nice of the lot owner to hire someone handicapped like the young man.

The city was crowded with people and Diana smiled as she walked along the wide avenues. She laughed to herself wondering what would Bruce say if he knew she came into his city without telling him first. At the thought of him, her mind seemed to turn back to the questions she had the other night. Where they stood outside the bet had been bothering her. There were many issues she wanted him to clarify before anything went any further. She resolved to head up to the mansion and confront him.

First though, there was a dress to get. Due to the economy, many of the stories were having sales and it seemed there were many women taking advantage of it. Diana's experience in the high fashion stores was like nothing she's ever been through before. She was bumped and jostled, while other customers snatched dresses right out of her hands. Everyone seemed so aggressive. She remembered she was trying to blend in but they were sorely testing her patience.

When she asked one of the clerks how much a dress was, the woman actually looked down her nose at Diana and said 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'. When the same woman 'accidentally' tripped over Diana's foot later, she couldn't help but smile.

Diana managed finally to find just the right dress. She could hardly wait to see the look on Kal-everyone's face when she wore it. She went to another clerk to pay for it and was warmly received when they saw her black card. The clerk that had been so rude seemed shocked by this. Diana couldn't help herself and as she left she turned to the clerk and said, "what do you know, it turns out I can afford it."

She browsed a few other stories but the crush of people started to bother her. Customers cut her off, while others block her way, as they talked on cell phone oblivious to anyone else. Finally she's had enough and started walking back to her car. It was rush hour by now and traffic was bumper to bumper. Horns honked, car and truck fumes filled the air, while people rushed by all around her.

Diana had lived in Washington since her arrival and was used to traffic, but usually she was in the back of a limo. When she went someplace, there were ropes to cordon off the entrance. Things seemed much more civilized. Here, mingling with the masses, there appeared to be no civility. Men shouted outrageous things at her as she walked by. People bumped and pushed her as they walked, not even stopping to say excuse me. She could have sworn several people tried to feel her up in the crowd, but when she turned around there was just a sea of faces. Many of them were leering at her, but she couldn't pick anyone out that had touched her. When she tried to cross the street, cars honked their horns and the drivers shouted profanities.

When she finally made it back to her car, she was actually happy to see the nice young man with the social anxiety disorder. His hands were much to sweaty, but other than that he was very pleasant.

She almost changed her mind about going to the mansion, wanting to get out of the city as fast as possible, but she didn't like to put things off. Plunging into the traffic, Diana guided her car towards Bruce's house. Traffic eased somewhat when she got closer. She pulled up his long driveway and got out. It was an impressive structure, although she thought it must be very lonely living with only Alfred in such a huge mansion.

She knocked on the door and waited. A moment passed and then the door opened.

"Princess Diana, this is a most unexpected surprise."

Diana smiled at Alfred. He was also such a gentleman and after the day she'd had it was a nice change.

"Nice to see you too, Alfred, may I come in?'

"Of course."

He stepped to the side and let her enter. Diana looked around the foray at all the expensive paintings and antiques. They were all lovely, but she found herself comparing it to the house in Gotham Heights. Bruce's house had the feel of a museum, while the house in Gotham Heights had the feel of a home. This thought was interrupted by Alfred's voice.

"How may I help you, Princess?"

"Is Bruce home? I'd very much like to speak to him,' she said.

"He's in the residence, but I'm afraid he doesn't wish to be disturbed,' Alfred replied. "He was very specific about it."

"I'm sure he's busy, but I won't take up much of his time. I just have a couple of questions I need to know the answers to,' Diana explained.

Once again, Alfred could see she wasn't going to leave without speaking to Master Bruce. He already knew what the reaction would be, but he nodded and led Diana down the hallway to the library. He dialed the Batcave and waited.

"What?"

"Princess Diana is here, sir."

"Diana?"

"Yes, Bruce, I want to talk to you,' she said.

"Is it about League business,' he asked.

"No, it's, well, personal."

"I'm sorry, Diana, but I'm right in the middle of something,' Bruce replied. "I'm going to be at Zatanna's opening show, so why don't we talk there? I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

Before she could reply, the line went dead.

"He hung up,' she said to Alfred.

"Yes,' he said. "I'm sorry, it seems his manners aren't at there best today, Princess."

"Where is he, down in his cave,' Diana asked. She started to move towards the secret door, but Alfred stopped her.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but Master Bruce has turned on all the security around the cave."

"I can get passed it,' she stated.

"Yes, I believe that's probably true, but not without considerable damage to the mansion,' Alfred explained. "I don't believe it's wise for either of you to draw that much attention to yourselves."

Diana knew the older man was probably right, but she still didn't like it. She couldn't believe the nerve of Bruce hanging up the phone on her like that. She just wanted to get her hands round his neck and shake him. Frustrated, she knew she would have to wait.

"Very well, Alfred, I have to be getting back anyway."

"Thank you, Princess Diana,' he said, a little bit of relief coming through in his voice. Reluctantly, Diana left the mansion.

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah was sitting at one of the back tables in the cafeteria sulking. She wouldn't call it that, but that was what she was doing. Zatanna came in and saw her friend. She immediately came over and sat down.

"Hey, what's up,' she said with a smile.

"Aren't you worried about sitting with me,' Dinah asked. "Apparently I'm mean and cold."

"Well, you know what they say, you can't pick your friends,' Zee replied.

"Actually the saying is you can't pick your family,' Diana countered.

There was a silence for a moment between them.

"So was it your constant need to correct people that made whoever say you were cold and mean,' Zee asked.

"No, I was actually trying to be nice."

"Tough week, huh?'

"Yes,' Dinah admitted. "Apparently the fact that I take my job seriously doesn't sit well with everybody."

"Ollie? I heard about that, I'm sorry, Di,' Zatanna offered.

"Thanks, but it's not just that, it's everything."

"You know what you need is to have some fun,' Zee suggested. "Now I saved you tickets to my show and I want you to come. Everyone's coming, Wally and Shayera, John and Mari, even Clark and Diana. I thought you could come and afterwards we could hit the town, what do you say?"

"I don't know,' Dinah replied. "I'm not really in a party mood right now."

"Too bad, you're coming."

"I don't want to,' Dinah said. "Everyone's going to be there as couples and I'll be by myself. It will be awkward; I'll be the third wheel. I'm not coming."

"Look, I'll set you up with a date, how about that,' Zee suggested.

"I really don't want to go out with one of those weirdo magic people you know,'Dinah replied.

"Weirdo magic people, thanks, Dinah,' Zee grumbled. 'I'm one of those weirdo magic people, you know."

"I didn't mean you, but you know what I mean."

Zee thought about whom she's had lunch with and sort of knew what Dinah was talking about. An idea came to her mind and she smiled at Dinah.

"What,' Dinah asked.

"I'll get Bruce to take you,' Zee suggested brightly.

"What?"

"Bruce, he can be your date,' Zee explained. "I'll fix it up."

"I don't know, that seems a little weird, doesn't it,' Dinah asked. "Besides, he wouldn't do it anyway."

"Yes he will,' Zee countered. "Look you'd be doing me a favor. He's coming to the show because I made him. I just know he's going to be a jackass and show up with three models or bimbos. He'll do that stupid playboy cover of his just to piss me off. If he goes with you, I don't have to worry about it."

"I still don't know,' Dinah replied.

"Well, I do and you're going with him. I'll set it up today,' Zee firmly said.

"Good luck, I tried talking to him earlier and he's in his Bat vault with all the security turned on," Dinah grumbled.

"It's the Batcave. Look you just find something to wear and leave the rest to me,' Zee said.

"I really don't know if I want to be Bruce's date for the show,' Dinah complained. Suddenly the table they were sitting at seemed to move. Both of them jumped back as the top began to shift and then Plastic Man's face appeared. He had a huge grin on his face.

"I'm available!"

Dinah looked at him and then turned to Zee.

"Okay, I'll go with Bruce."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana's day wasn't getting any better. She had stopped at the market just to pick up a few things. At first everything was fine. The people working in the store were very nice to her, just as they had been when she'd come with Kal. A nice man offered her a small basket and she thanked him. Carrying it over her arm, she found the things she wanted and was all set to check out. Scanning the check out lines, she got in the one marked express, 12 items or less. She was fourth in line.

It seemed to be taking much longer than then it should. Diana glanced up at the person currently checking out. He seemed to be arguing with the cashier whether fifty packages of Ramen noodles was actually one item. This seemed to be taking forever. The rather slovenly young woman in front of Diana was screaming at her two children as they ran all over the front of the store getting into everything. As she stood there, Diana didn't believe she had ever heard the names Dwayne and Nevaeh quite so many times in such a short period of time.

Finally the man with the Ramen noodles was finished and they moved up. The next person up was a rather older lady. She asked for a price check on each item and several of her items had no price or bar code on them. This in turn made the cashier call for someone from grocery to come to her register. While they were waiting for the person to arrive, a man in his thirties got in line behind Diana. He was wearing a blue tooth headset and talking very loudly about some deal he'd gotten earlier in the day. It didn't sound like that important a matter to Diana, but he apparently was very proud of it, judging by the volume of his voice. He seemed to go on and on and on about it.

The older lady was finally ready to pay and she said she was sure she had exact change. Diana had to stifle a groan as she watched the woman dig around in her purse for the pennies, all 87 of them. Half way through she lost count and had to start again. Diana felt a dull throb start over her left eyebrow. Dwayne and Nevaeh bumped into Diana as they grabbed for candy. Their mother grabbed it out of their hands and jammed it back into the rack. The man behind Diana was now going through the entire process of his great deal. He seemed to want to share his genius at getting ten bags of mulch for forty dollars with the person he was talking to.

The older woman was at seventy-nine pennies, but they were coming much slower now. When she dumped out her purse on the counter, the pain above Diana's eyebrow began to throb more intensely. Eighty three cents and counting, Diana wished she had some change on her just to end the agonizing searched through the bits of paper, rubber bands and assorted junk from the older woman's purse.

Apparently whomever the man behind her was talking to didn't fully appreciate what an amazing deal the man had gotten on the ten bags of mulch so he started to repeat the whole process, only slower and louder. Thanks the Gods, eighty-seven cents, finally, Diana thought. The end seemed a little nearer as she took two steps forward. The slovenly woman with the two obnoxious children said to the cashier that yes, she did have her discount card with her. Unzipping her fanny pack, which seemed to be holding on to her huge waist for dear life, she began digging through to find her card.

Diana had a vision of a repeat of the penny search, but thankfully it didn't come true. The cashier began to check out the slovenly woman's items. Diana absently noticed they were all basically process fat and loaded with sugar. As she glanced over at Dwayne and Nevaeh screaming and running all over the store, she thought perhaps the woman should consider modifying their diet. Judging by the grease stains on the front of her Who Farted t-shirt, though, Diana didn't think that was likely.

All her items were scanned and Diana thought it was almost over, the the slovenly woman suddenly remembered she had coupons. Once more she went into the fanny pack. Diana reached up and began to rub above her eyebrow, as the throbbing pain seemed to be spreading. The man behind her was still talking loudly about his genius in getting a deal on mulch. The coupons were finally all found and then the slovenly woman asked for a pen so she could write a check.

Diana was having a tough time not spinning around into her Wonder Woman outfit and cleaning house at this point. No, she told herself, she was in Gotham Heights so she couldn't use her powers. She would dearly love to turn around and crush the phone in the man's ear though. As she watched the slovenly woman, Diana saw of course the woman hadn't made he check out to the store ahead of time. As she slowly scrawled out the check she constantly stopped to scream at her two children. One thing Diana was very sure of and that was she now hated the names Dwayne and Nevaeh.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the slovenly woman was finished and it was Diana's turn to check out her few items. She laid them on the conveyer belt in order for the cashier, but when she looked up she realized the girl wasn't looking at her items, but taking out her drawer. Another young cashier was standing next to her with a drawer of her own. It was a shift change. The two cashiers were apparently friends as they chatted away about their plans for later that evening and caught up on mutual friends. Diana stood there waiting, seemingly invisible to the two of them.

The mulch man began dropping his items on the counter and pushing Diana forward as if she were already done. This was too much, so she gave him a hip check and moved him back a few paces. He looked at her like she was so rude, but continued to talk on his phone. He finally switched from his mulch story and was now telling whomever he was talking to about the hot rude woman in front of him at the story. It was as if he didn't think Diana could hear him. She was about to say something, but the cashiers had finally finished catching up.

"Ma'am, do you have a discount card? Ma'am,' the new cashier said.

"No," Diana replied.

"Would you like to sign up for one? It only takes a few minutes?"

"No, thank you."

"Would you like to donate a dollar to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast Cancer research?"

"Not today," Diana replied. "I'd just like to check out, please."

The man on the phone behind Diana told his friend on the other end of the phone how snotty the hot, rude woman in front of him had been to the cashier.

"If you give me your e-mail address, the store will send you weekly coupons, Ma'am,' the cashier said.

"No thank you," Diana said.

"Do you have any coupons?"

"No."

A miracle happened then and the cashier actually started to scan Diana's items. Several questions later, debit or credit, paper or plastic, Diana was at last finished with her shopping. She was just about to leave, when she turned and stepped very close to the man on the phone. She looked him directly in the eyes.

"It wasn't that good a deal,' she said and then walked out of the store.

* * *

Gotham

Alfred was just starting to prepare dinner when the front door chimes rang again. He rinsed his hands off and headed to answer it.

"Certainly is a busy day for guests." He said aloud.

When he opened the door, Zatanna smiled at him and walked in.

"Hi, Alfred.'

"Hello, Miss Zatanna,' he replied. "I'm afraid Master Bruce isn't receiving visitors today. He was very specific about it, actually."

"Antisocial as always,' she said. "I imagine he set all the security to keep everyone out, right?"

"Yes, Miss."

"Okay,' she said and then started walking towards the library. Alfred hurried to catch up to her.

"If you wish, I can contact him on the phone and let him know you're here,' he suggested.

"No, that's okay, I can already hear him being rude,' she said.

"I would point out, Miss Zatanna, I believe you were the person he was trying to keep out."

Zee stopped and smiled at Alfred.

"Well, he knows that's not going to work. Don't worry, Alfred, I'll take all the blame. Hsinav!" With that word, she slowly disappeared. Alfred shook his head and then headed back towards the kitchen.

"Always an interesting young woman,' he mused.

* * *

The Batcave

Bruce sat facing the multiple computer screens, data, pictures, video streaming across all of them. He knew she was there even before she said anything. He grumbled a bit, but refused to turn around. He did his best to ignore her, but as the moments passed and she didn't say anything it finally got too much and he turned around.

Zatanna was standing looking at the glass cases with all the past uniforms. She stopped in front of one of the Robin outfits and then looked over at him with a smile.

"This one's kind of cute, can I try it on?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, I bet I make a damn hot Robin,' she replied.

"No,' he repeated. "Now I assume you came here for a reason?"

"Yes, of course."

"It wasn't just to annoy me was it,' he asked.

"No."

"So the fact that I left instructions not to be disturbed and set all the alarms didn't give you a hint that I was busy,' he asked, a little of his annoyance slip through.

'Bruce, if I paid attention to every time you said you wanted to be alone, I'd never see you, she explained.

"I'm really starting not to like you, Zee,' He grumbled.

"No you're not,' she replied, moving towards him. "You're just mad because you can't always get your way."

He crossed his arms in front of him and glared at her.

"So what do you want this time?"

"I just wanted you to know you have a date for my show,' she said. She was standing right in front of him now, smiling.

"Do I?"

"Yep, Dinah."

"Funny, I don't remember asking Dinah,' he replied.

"You didn't, I did it for you."

"And did you even consider I might have other plans,' he asked.

"Yes, but that's why I asked her for you,' Zee explained. "I don't want you bringing some bimbo to my show, Bruce. You can pretend to be playboy some other night, not mine."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, besides, you owe me,' she said.

"How do I owe you?"

"I took you to lunch, remember?"

"That was payback, I don't owe you!"

"Yes, you do, now stop arguing cause you're taking Dinah. I already told her so it's all set."

He sighed.

"So I get no say in this?"

"No."

"Anything else,' he asked. Zee turned and looked back at the glass case, then turned back to him.

"Let me try on the costume,' she asked. "Come on, you know it would look great on me!"

Despite himself, Bruce couldn't help smiling.

"No, there already is a Robin, remember?"

"I just wanted to try it on, not become your sidekick, Bruce,' Zee fired back. "I mean, get real here."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana opened the front door and sighed. She hung her new dress on the coat rack and set her items from the store down on the hallway table. She was happy about the dress, but other than that her day had been horrible. She walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch. There was music playing, Nina Simone's version of the classic 'My Baby Just Cares.' It sounded very nice, she thought.

Clark came out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel. He was in his shirtsleeves and had his cuffs rolled up.

'Hey, you are home,' he said. "I was just making dinner, I hope you're hungry."

When she didn't answer, he noticed the unhappy look on her face.

"What's the matter,' he asked.

"I had a bad day,' she admitted.

"Well, you know when I was young, Ma used to tell me that nothing cures a bad day like a hug, so come here,' he said, sitting down next to her. Diana leaned towards him and Clark put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in his body. They sat there quietly listening to the music. A little smile came to Diana's lips.


	29. Chapter 29

Party Girl

"Floating"

Gotham Heights

It was just before dawn and all the world seemed asleep. Clark sat on the edge of the pool, his legs dangling in the water. The steam from the warm water swirled all around him. He didn't feel like swimming laps anymore. Tilting his head back he looked up at the stars. There were moments when he felt so human that it was hard to believe he wasn't from here.

Reality always had a way of finding him, though.

In all the confusion and excitement of the past few days, a single basic fact had slipped his mind. He couldn't go to Zatanna's show with Diana as his date. He was mild mannered Clark Kent and she was Princess Diana, Ambassador of the Amazons and Wonder Woman. She had no secret identity to protect, while he most certainly did.

Maybe those dreams we have in our youth never really go away. The idea of just once showing up somewhere with the prettiest girl on his arm still had a powerful pull on him. It almost made him forget that protecting his secret identity wasn't for his safety, but others. Ma Kent, Lana, Lois, Jimmy, Perry and countless others unknowingly depended on him keeping that secret. He couldn't put the youthful desires he might still have over the safety of others.

The hard reality was that lives depended on him keeping his secret.

The saddest part was he finally realized he was falling for Diana. Out here, alone, he could admit it, if only to himself. He wasn't a man ruled by his passions, but he was realizing that didn't apply when it came to Diana. He wanted her. Perhaps he always had, but these two weeks had brought that simple fact home. He'd been in love before, so he knew these feelings only too well.

Out here in the suburbs, in this make believe life it actually seemed possible. He now realized he'd done the very thing he told himself not to, he'd fallen for the illusion. He'd been kidding himself all this time. He hadn't even admitted it to himself at first, but now he finally could. As selfish as it seemed, Clark didn't want Diana to fall in love with Bruce, he wanted her to fall in love with him.

That was the illusion though; the reality was something far different.

Playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne could date Wonder Woman and no one would bat an eye. Oh, there would be the gossip about the two of them, but for the most part everyone would understand. Mild mannered Clark Kent dating Wonder Woman would raise a lot more questions. The questions would bring the very thing he'd worked his whole life to avoid, attention. Clark found himself envying Bruce and perhaps more than a little jealous of him.

He knew he shouldn't be, as he'd learned the lesson long ago, the captain of the football team always gets the pretty cheerleader. Life was just high school with money, someone had once said. They had meant it as a joke, but the best jokes always have a bit of truth in them. Most people like to believe they've changed since high school, but they really haven't. They might be a more sophisticated version or more successful, but somewhere deep inside that kid they were in high school remains.

If you don't believe it, go to a high school reunion sometime. It doesn't even have to be your own. Watch how quickly people fall back into those roles they once had. A certain group will be there just to relive their glory days, the peak moment of their lives. Another group will be there to prove everybody wrong and try to impress people they haven't seen in years.

In high school, Clark had created the role he would play the rest of his life. It was a life of blending in, not being noticed. Over the years he'd come to accept it and even grow comfortable in it. He realized now that Diana would never fit in that life. If he gave up being Clark Kent then they would have a chance. As Superman no one would think twice if he started dating Wonder Woman. The problem with that idea was he didn't want to give up being Clark Kent. That was who he really was, not Superman. Superman was just a job, a costume he put on.

In the same sense he wasn't interested in Wonder Woman. She wasn't the person he'd been falling for the last two weeks. The woman he wanted was Diana. Wonder Woman was a Goddess, perfect to most eyes. Diana had her flaws. She could be hot tempered, a little spoiled, though you took your life in your hands if you pointed it out to her. She might be the neatest person Clark had ever met, along with being the most competitive. Still he liked her foibles. He liked that she got mad at him for calling her Princess, while seemingly oblivious to everyone else doing it.

Diana was who he wanted, but the reality was he couldn't have her.

The two weeks would be over sooner than they could imagine and then it would be back to their real, regular lives. She would go back to Washington and her roles as Ambassador and Wonder Woman. He would go back to Metropolis to his roles as mild mannered reporter and Superman. A sad smile crossed his lips as he realized Bruce had been right, only he'd gotten the two worlds wrong.

Diana was the representative of her people, an emissary chosen by their Gods. Clark was the last of his people and represented nobody but himself. Her life was in front of the cameras, while his was behind them. To ask Diana to share his world, Clark knew he would be subjecting her to more days like yesterday. It was fun and novel for a month, but to ask her to live this life full time seemed terribly wrong to him. She was still so new to this world and there were so many interesting things and people and experiences for her to have. Asking her to share his life would cut her off from most of them.

He also knew he could only live in her world as Superman. There was no place for Clark Kent.

So he would help her win this bet and not say anything as she moved on. He would be the friend she needed. If Bruce wasn't smart enough to recognize what they might have, there would be another. Women as special as Diana didn't suffer from lack of suitors. She would eventually find that special someone and Clark would do his best to put on a smile and support her. He would try and move on too. He wouldn't complicate things by telling her just how he felt about her.

Maybe it's better he realize it now, Clark thought. The sting of his failed relationship with Lois was still there. He'd tried so hard to make it work, yet the look of resignation on her face that last time still haunted him. It was as if the fight had been drained out of her and she was finally just admitting the inevitable.

That was the course all his relationships ended up taking it seemed. Looking back, he realized Lana had that same look. Jonathan Kent had once said that everything has a price and sooner or later it has to be paid. Clark hadn't understood what he was talking about back then, but now he was starting to. Maybe being Superman came with a price too. Perhaps the very things that made it possible for him to help so many would also always cost him any chance at a normal life.

Clark glanced up at the bedroom window and knew Diana was still sleeping. He knew he would have to tell her they couldn't go to the show together. He wasn't looking forward to it, but it had to be done.

He knew now he would never get to say it to her, but just once he wanted to say it out loud.

"Diana, I'm in love with you."

The words disappeared into the early morning silence. The steam from the pool swirled and drifted, giving everything an otherworldly appearance. Clark looked away from the bedroom window and dove into the pool. His arm emerged from the water and knifed forward. He began swimming as if he had miles to go.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Later that evening

Sometimes the simplest compliments are the best. As Diana came down the stairs in her new Vera Wang red poppy one shoulder silk wool dress, the only word that came out of Clark's mouth was 'Wow."

"I'm glad you like it,' she said with a big smile.

"Wow,' he repeated, as no other words seemed to do how she looked justice.

"Thank you."

Diana was beaming. She felt wonderful, sexy and very desirable. It was the way she imagined she would look when she saw the dress in the store. It was going to be a wonderful night, she thought.

"Shall we go,' she asked.

Clark looked at her for a moment, realizing he couldn't put this off any longer.

"About tonight, Diana,' he began.


	30. Chapter 30

Face in the Crowd

"Golden Dancer"

Gotham

Traffic was heavy. Nighttime in Gotham, if you only watched the news or read the headlines, you would think it was a non-stop war zone. Crime was certainly present just like every other major city, yet there was also nightlife. The clubs were still packed, people still went out to movies and theaters still had live shows. The citizens of Gotham went on with their lives.

A sleek, black limousine moved through the traffic towards the theater district. The windows were tinted to shield the occupants from prying eyes. Diana sat in the back gazing out the window at the buildings as they passed by. She was alone. Kal had explained why he couldn't go with her. Diana was disappointed but told him she understood. Both of those things were true. She was also mad, but hadn't admitted it to him. While she was interested in seeing Zatanna's show, she wanted to go with him.

He said he would be there, just not as her date. He mentioned that others from the League would be there, but Diana found she didn't care about them right now. He mentioned that Bruce would be there and while she already knew this, Diana found she hadn't been thinking about him either. She glanced down at her new dress. When she had seen it in the store, the image of her and Kal walking in came to her mind. His reaction at first seeing it had been just what she wanted. She wasn't thinking of anyone else's reaction, just his.

Her anger was more out of frustration at both the situation and at him. She certainly understood his desire to protect his secret identity and those close to him, but he hadn't even consulted her and that's what frustrated her. By making the decision the way he did, Diana felt he was pulling back from her and she didn't like it. She was realizing that in his own way, Kal could be just as mercurial as Bruce was. He'd given her glimpses of the real man underneath all the personas, but then he would shift, sliding effortlessly away again. Diana found herself very attracted to that man underneath.

This all may have started because of a bet, but that had changed. The night she'd spent waiting for him to come home, Diana had a revelation. They were already in a relationship. He could call it whatever he wanted, a pretend marriage, an illusion, but the fact remained the same, they were in a relationship. From her observations of others and how this sort of thing worked, it was usually the woman that decided anyway. Diana had decided. They were definitely in a relationship. If she waited for him, who knows how long it would be.

This was all new to her, but she instinctively knew that to be in a relationship it had to be a partnership. Both of them had to be open and honest with each other. She understood there would be problems, but they would work through them together. It hadn't been out of jealous that she was so upset about him not calling, she told herself, certainly not. It was that he cut her out and didn't even consider what she might be thinking. He was spending the night with a beautiful young woman that had expressed interest in dating him, what did he expect Diana to think when he was so late?

She believed him that nothing had happened. If she hadn't he would have been sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future and she would have had a very long talk with a certain young magician. Diana thought she still might, just so her and Zatanna were clear. No out of jealous, she told herself, just so they understood where they stood.

As far as tonight went, it wasn't that he was concerned about protecting his family and friends that bothered her. Diana understood that. The part that frustrated her was that he hadn't even discussed it with her. If they were going to be in a relationship that would have to change, she thought. She wasn't the other women he'd been with; she didn't need him to protect her.

As the limo turned the corner, Diana saw Wayne Tower and her thoughts turned to Bruce. She could admit to herself she still found him a fascinating and attractive man, but her visit to the mansion the previous day seemed to be a microcosm of their problem. He had closed himself off and locked himself away from her. He dictated when and how they would see each other. He seemed so worried about being in control of everything in his life that he couldn't let anything unexpected happen.

When this bet started it seemed so important to prove something to him, but now she was wondering if it would even make a difference. Diana had been as open as possible with Bruce, yet it didn't seem to be enough. She knew he'd suffered an unspeakable tragedy in his life, but was starting to realize the psychic wounds had never fully healed. He tried to hold everyone at arms length, never letting anyone get too close. Batman wasn't just a role anymore it was who he was.

Perhaps that was what drew her to him in the first place. He was such a caring, magnetic man, that you didn't see how great the flaws were at first. Perhaps there was an element of wanting to save him too, Diana realized, to help heal his wounds. She wouldn't be the first woman to feel that urge.

There was also the fact that when her interested in Bruce first started, Kal was unavailable, he was with Lois. He wasn't with Lois anymore. The emotions he stirred within her were different than the ones Bruce did. Both were physically attractive men. The idea of being intimate with them had certainly crossed her mind. While she had no actually experience, she without doubt had a vivid imagination. Her mother would probably have a heart attack or send all her sisters to bring her back to the island by force, if necessary, if she knew the things Diana had been imagining with Kal.

She wanted him; there was no other way to put it. It was almost a primal or tribal need. It's why the idea of him with another woman bothered her so much. She had never felt so possessive about anything before. As much as she tried to deny it, on some level she thought of him as hers. He was her husband and she was his wife. No matter what the circumstances might be that caused it, it was a fact now.

They only had two weeks, though. The bet and their marriage would be over in just two short weeks. Diana wasn't sure what would happen after that. She knew all relationships aren't destined to last forever. She only had to look around to see that. It would be so easy to drift apart once the bet was over and they went back to their regular lives. Two weeks, that's what she had to find out if this was something special or the illusion it started out to be.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Another ceremony was over in Cubby's basement and the worshippers exited the rec room and began to change out of their bloody robes. Several of the members were giggling and Cubby was concerned. He felt he needed to address this as it had been bothering him for some time.

"People, good work tonight," he began. "I think we're really starting to hit our stride with the whole sacrifice thing. The ladies have provided us with a lovely spread upstairs, so I hope you're all hunger."

"I'm dying for a brownie,' Jenny gushed to LuAnn and Dottie.

"I've had Funions on my mind all night,' Dottie said.

"Um, ah, people, I think there's an issue we need to discuss,' Cubby said. The others turned towards him, even as LuAnn opened a bag of Doritos. Cubby watched as she and others started digging in.

"People, I know this stuff is all new to you, just like it is to me,' he said. "Frankly, even though I'm sort of the leader here, I'm not any half-blood Prince of this Wicker stuff."

"It's Wicca,' Betty corrected him through a mouthful of Doritos. "I'm not sure, but I think what we're doing is different than Wicca anyway."

"And the half-blood Prince is Harry Porter, dear,' LuAnn added.

"Is it,' Cubby asked. "Now is that the one with the elves?"

"No, that's Lord of the Rings,' Carl explained. "Oh, and those are Hobbits."

"Hobbits? Now that's the one where they have to move cause their warren is being destroyed, right?"

"No, dear,' LuAnn replied. "That's Watership Down."

"Those are just talking rabbits,' Carl added.

"Like Bugs Bunny,' Ted offered, before shoveling a handful of sour cream and chive Ruffles into his mouth.

"Well, maybe technically, but it's different,' Ted replied.

"I think we're getting off track here, people,' Cubby said. "What I'm trying to say is this is all new to me, just like you. I don't come from a long line of Satan worshippers or anything, so I'm really kind of doing this on the fly, as it were.'

"I think you're doing an excellent job, Cubby,' Bob offered.

"Thank you, Bob."

"Brown nose,' Jenny whispered to Dottie. They both giggled at this.

"What I wanted to address, people,' Cubby continued. "I think some of you aren't taking this as seriously as the others. While I'm all for you experimenting with the Pot, some of you have really gone off the deep end with the stuff. I'm not going to name any names, but when we were chanting in there, I distinctly heard one or two of you doing a Doors song."

Jenny and Dottie blushed, but continued eating.

"We need to keep it together, people.' Cubby urged. "Do you think we're the only people in the suburbs worshipping Satan? Hell no, we're not! This is a competitive game and only those really knuckling down are going to earn his favors. Keep your eye on the prize, people. Our businesses are just starting to turn around so we don't need an slip ups!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Cubby looked at all of them and felt a little embarrassed by his outburst.

"Okay, I'm sorry if I got carried away there," he admitted. "No one likes to have a good time more than me, but in the right time and place. I've said my piece, so let's just forget about it now and head upstairs and dig in. Hail Satan."

"Hail Satan!" Everyone echoed. They all started to file upstairs. Dottie turned to Jenny and whispered. "You had the lyrics wrong, by the way."

"What do you mean?"

"The actual lyrics are, 'My wild love went ridin', She rode to the sea  
She gathered together, Some shells for her head."

"They are,' Jenny questioned. "Well, those make no sense at all."

"I'm just telling, that's what the song says,' Dottie explained. "I was so buzzed the other night I played the song like twenty times in a row, so trust me."

"Twenty times? Wow, Dottie, I wish I could be as good a hippie as you are,' Jenny said.

"Nonsense, I think you're a wonderful hippie, Jenny,' Dottie replied.

"Thank you!"

* * *

Gotham

Bruce Wayne effortlessly shifted the Ferrari 612Scaglietti as he darted in and out of traffic. Dinah Lance sat next to him silently watching the traffic rush by. He was in a tuxedo and looked impeccable. Dinah was wearing a black silk and chiffon cocktail dress that ended mid-thigh. She was showing quite a bit of leg and Bruce couldn't help noticing.

"You're quiet tonight,' he said. His eyes drifting down to her exposed thigh for just a moment.

"My mind's elsewhere, I guess,' she replied, not turning to look at him.

"I looked at the data you sent over, I think you made some interesting connections between the gang and the gun smuggling,' he offered.

"You mean the data I tried to talk to you about, but you hung up on me," she asked. "That data?"

"Yes."

She turned and looked at him now. She had changed her hairstyle for the evening and her blonde locks sexily fell over one side of her face covering her right eye.

"So?"

"I think you are on to something,' he said. "The gang is definitely stepping up its game and trying to move into the big time. Those arm shipments we stopped are just the start."

"We should call Barbara,' Dinah said. "I could be down there keeping them under surveillance right now."

Bruce couldn't believe he was going to be the one to say this, but he pressed ahead anyway.

"Dinah, Oracle is keeping an eye on them. From what you sent over, they aren't moving any merchandise tonight, so you'd be wasting your time. Besides, you know Zatanna would blame me if you don't show up."

"I didn't really feel like going on a date anyway,' she admitted.

"Well, you're on one, we both are, so let's try and make the best of it,' he replied. "You look lovely, by the way."

"Thank you,' she said. "I was starting to worry this dress might be too short the way you've been checking out my legs the whole way."

"I haven't been checking out your legs, don't be ridiculous,' he immediately replied.

"Right, sure you haven't,' she said, turning back to look out the window.

"I haven't."

"Uh-huh," Dinah absently said. "You keep telling yourself that."

"I haven't,' he whispered, even as he gave them another glance. Bruce shifted again and the car shot through the night.

* * *

Gotham – The Theater District

Clark got out of his cab a block from the theater. He paid the fare and started to walk towards the gathered crowd. Zatanna's opening night had turned into something of an event. He could see fans, reporters and paparazzi swarming around the entrance as local and nationally known officials, dignitaries and celebrities made their entrances. He could still see the look on Diana's face when he told her they couldn't go together and felt horrible about it.

It was this crush of media that he had been worried about. The pictures and video of those arriving would be everywhere by later tonight. If Diana, probably one of the most well known women in the world suddenly showed up with an unknown reporter from Metropolis it would raise a lot of eyebrows. He would become a story overnight and that was attention Clark didn't need. He knew his place wasn't on the red carpet, but back here, behind the velvet ropes.

Clark pulled out his press credentials and clipped them to the pocket of his black suit. He wasn't wearing a tux and he wasn't really covering the show, but it would help him blend in.

"Hey, sorry buddy, I didn't see you standing there,' a man said as he jostled against Clark.

"No problem."

Slowly Clark made his way through the crowd towards the front. He was just behind the photographers and camera crews. He knew he should probably just head inside, but he wanted to watch her arrive. He was bumped and pushed by the crowd around him, but he didn't complain. They were there to see celebrities and he was just another face in the crowd.

There was a line of limos dropping off the famous in front of the theater. He watched as the Mayor, the Governor and even a Senator stepped out, waved to the crowd as they went inside. Celebrities from the music and entertainment industries drew much bigger cheers. Out of the corner of his eye, Clark saw John Constantine slip under the velvet rope and make his way inside as everyone's attention was on the latest pop star to arrive. Zatanna certainly has some interesting friends, he mused.

A white stretch Hummer limo pulled up and the crowd eagerly waited to see whom it was. The back door opened and a delicate white wing emerged first. Shayera stepped out from the car. She was dressed in a peach colored gown and seemed nervous in front of all the cameras. Flash bulbs went off and she stood there, almost unsure what to do. She looked like an angel, Clark thought. He saw her stumble forward a bit. She turned to say something, but Wally was already out of the car. He stood there with a huge grin on his face and stretched out his arms towards the fans.

He didn't see the look Shayera gave him. Clark had to smile as he watched Wally work the crowd. He high fived everyone and posed for pictures with anyone that wanted to. Whipping out a pen, Wally said he was ready to sign some autographs when Shayera came up and took hold of his elbow. Clark could see Wally wince as she ushered them both into the theater.

There were a few more celebrities and then a black Ferrari pulled up. The valet rushed to the driver's side just as Bruce emerged. He was very well known, and flashed his billion-dollar playboy smile as he haphazardly tossed his keys to the young man. Waving to the crowd, Bruce went around to the passenger side and opened the door. Flash bulbs began to pop as a very long leg emerged. Another followed it and Dinah emerged. It was a daring dress she had on, but she certainly pulled it off with style, Clark thought. She looked like a movie star in his opinion. The two of them politely stood for pictures, while Bruce playfully bantered with some of the reporters. They eventually made it inside and Clark had to tip his hat to Bruce. He could still play the role of playboy with the best of them.

It was several minutes later when the black limousine pulled up in front of the theater. Clark shifted a little closer to the front as the Amazon driver got out and went around to open the back door. He found himself holding his breath, along with many in the crowd as Diana stepped out of the car. For just a moment silence seemed to hang over the scene as she stood there looking around at the crowd. He knew she was looking for him, but in the next moment there was an explosion of flash bulbs.

She was breath taking, he thought, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. There was a regal aura about her, as Diana smiled and patiently stood for the cameras. The crowd was screaming and pushing against the security trying to get closer to her, as they saw the same things Clark saw. She handled it all so effortlessly, as if she were born to it. In a way she probably was, Clark thought. She belonged in front of the cameras, not hiding behind them like he was. As she made her way towards the front door, Clark started to slip back into the crowd. He would find a side entrance somewhere and go in that way.

* * *

Moments Earlier

Diana sat in her limousine watching as others entered the theater. She could see Bruce and Dinah stand for the cameras and had to admit they looked very glamorous. She found her eyes straying though, looking at the gathered crowd trying to find him. It should have been easy to spot of a man of his size and good looks, but somehow he had done that thing he was so good at, blended in. She felt disappointed at not seeing him, but as her limousine pulled up, she assumed her role. She was the Ambassador of her people and knew what was expected. As the driver, one of her assistants opened the door; Diana managed to smile as she stepped from the car.

Her eyes immediately went to the crowd and for a brief moment she thought she saw him. It was all washed away in the next moment consumed in the cacophony of white light from the flash bulbs. The sound of the crowd and the paparazzi came crashing in on her. It was all so overwhelming, yet she maintained her poise. Diana waved to the screaming crowd and stopped for the photographers. Questions were shouted at her from all sides, but she didn't reply. After the obligatory length of time, she headed towards the front door of the theater. Just as she was about to enter, she turned her head and scanned the crowd one last time. For a moment she thought she saw him turning away, but then he disappeared again.

* * *

Backstage

Zatanna stood in front of a full-length mirror practicing her bows.

"Thank you, thank you, you are too kind,' she said to an imaginary audience and gave another bow. "Please, three standing ovations, it's too much, thank you!"

"It's nice to see you rehearse everything. Very professional, Zee."

She gasped and spun around to see Clark Kent standing in the doorway.

"Clark! Wh-Wh-What are you doing here,' she managed to say. At the moment she wished she could just vanish through the floor she was so embarrassed.

"I was stopping to wish you luck, but three standing ovations,' he said with a smile. "Doesn't sound like you need it."

"You weren't supposed to see that, no one was,' she replied. God, I must look like a complete douchebag, she thought with a cringe. She blushed and fiddled with her jacket, trying to think of a spell that would transport her back in time, say five minutes.

"Hey, I thought it was very cute,' he offered. "You should know I'll be leading that four ovation, so don't stop practicing now."

Zee smiled, but was desperate to change the subject to anything else.

"Sh-Shouldn't you be out front with Diana,' she asked." Didn't she come?"

"Yes, she came,' he said, shifting a bit against the doorframe. "I'm really not a spotlight sort of guy, though. Not comfortable with all that attention."

"But you're, well, you know,' she said, and then mimed drawing an S on her chest.

"Not tonight,' he said, giving her an almost sad smile.

"Jeez, when I invited you two, I didn't even think about that, sorry,' she offered.

"Don 't be,' he said with a shake of his head. "I just wanted to stop and say thanks again and wish you luck."

"Thanks."

"You know, sometime you're going to have to tell me how you got Bruce to come and bring Dinah as a date on top of it,' he teased.

"Magic,' she teased back.

"Well, it worked,' he replied with a chuckle. "Dinah went all out. She looks spectacular. I think I even caught Bruce glancing at her legs once or twice on their way in."

"Why?"

"Let's just say she's wearing a rather daring dress,' Clark offered. "She pulls it off too. Really, really well."

"Okay, I get it, Dinah looks nice, let's not go overboard,' Zee replied.

"You look lovely too,' Clark quickly said, remembering who's night it was.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"I imagine Bruce will think so too,' he teased.

Zatanna blushed and then quickly turned back to the mirror.

"I have a show to do, Clark, I'm not thinking about anything else,' she said.

"Okay, well, good luck, I know you'll be great,' he said and then moved off. Zee called thank you again, but he was already gone. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she had to wonder just how short Dinah's dress was?

* * *

Gotham – The front of the Theater

The concert hall had three sections on the main floor and a balcony. It was full to capacity. Diana was sitting on the aisle, fifth row on the left side. The seat next to her was empty. Both in front and behind her were politicians. The next seat over after the empty one in her row sat the Mayor's wife. Further down the same row, she saw Dinah and then Bruce towards the middle of the row and then towards the right aisle Shayera and Wally. Couples surrounded her, yet the seat next to her continued to remain empty, she glumly thought.

She was expecting him to enter just as the lights went down, hoping that no one would notice. What Diana didn't realize was that Clark had been doing this all his life. He knew if he tried to sneak in, he would draw the wrong sort of attention to himself. People would see a tall, good looking man taking the seat next to Diana and immediately start to wonder if they were a couple. They would want to know who he was and everything about him. It would defeat the purpose of not arriving together. What he needed was the right sort of attention.

Diana heard voices and turned her head. Standing at the other end of the row was Clark and the usher. They were whispering, but it was just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"There-There must be some mistake,' Clark said. "That can't be my seat, I mean that's Wonder Woman."

"This is where your seat is, sir,' the usher replied. Clark looked nervously around, adjusting his tie as if it were too tight.

"Isn't there some place else,' he asked. "The balcony or something? I'm sure, Miss Zatara didn't mean for me to be sitting here."

"I'm sure she didn't either, sir, but the show is completely sold out,' the usher dismissively said. "The show is about to start, so please take your seat."

"Gosh, I don't know, I mean me sitting next to her,' Clark whispered. He adjusted his glasses and seemed to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Perhaps it is your lucky night,' sir,' the usher offered. "Now if you'll please take your seat."

"Well, okay, jeez, I'm so nervous my palms are sweating," Clark said.

"Lovely."

Everyone's attention was now on the nervous man who had the unbelievable luck of sitting next to Princess Diana, Wonder Woman. For Diana's part she could hear the murmurs all around her of 'lucky bastard' or 'how sorry they were for her'. She kept her face placid, not turning to watch him, but out of the corner of her eye she kept keen notice of his progress.

Clark was a big man and by entering the row from the wrong side, this meant he had to climb over everyone to get to his seat. As he began to stumble, stagger and bumble his way to his seat, constantly saying 'excuse me'; Diana could hear the soft laughter all around her. While her expression remained neutral, she was getting angry. She didn't like them talking about him is those rude tones. They weren't laughing with him, they were laughing at him. She felt the urge to just get up and grab him by the labels and yank him into his seat and end this charade, but remained in her seat.

Clark managed to make it as far as Wally and Shayera before he stopped.

"Wow, The Flash! I'm a big fan,' he said. "I'm Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet."

He offered his hand, but Wally didn't take it. Wally knew what Clark was doing, so he decided to play along.

"No interviews, please,' Wally said, raising his hand dismissively to wave Clark along. "I might be persuaded to give you an autograph after the show, but let's see how it goes."

"Oh, right, sorry,' Clark replied. He noticed Shayera glaring at Wally and he didn't think that was a good sign.

"Hawk girl,' he said loudly, almost gushing. "May I say you look beautiful tonight, miss. You look just like an angel."

"Thank you, Mr. Kent,' Shayera replied, giving him a smile.

"That's all well and good, Kent, but move it along will you,' Wally said. "You're not made of glass, you know."

"Right, right, sorry,' Clark replied. As he started to move, he 'accidentally' stepped directly on Wally's foot and then seemed to stumble against him. Wally gasped in pain, as Clark let all of his weight press down on his foot. Clark whispered so fast that only Wally could hear.

"Remember she's doing you a favor by being your date, Wally. Be a gentleman."

Clark managed to extricate himself and took his foot off Wally's.

"I'm so sorry, Flash, I guess I'm not that coordinated sometimes,' Clark offered.

"It's okay, okay, just watch where you're going,' Wally said, relieved to have him off his foot finally.

"You look really lovely tonight,' Clark said to Shayera as he inched his way passed her. She smiled and blushed a little at this. Wally saw this and remembered Clark's words.

"Yeah, you do, Shayera," he said. "If I forgot to say it earlier, I 'm sorry. You look amazing and thanks again for coming with me."

"You're welcome,' she replied, the smile getting just a little bigger on her lips.

Clark continued to progress, nearly falling several times. He continued to say excuse me constantly as he moved over one dignitary after another. He could see Bruce and Dinah out of the corner of his eye. Clark made a great show of his nervousness as he approached them. When Dinah crossed her legs and her dress slipped just a bit higher, he actually gulped. The crowd around them were all talking about him now.

"Clark Kent, Miss Lance, I'm a big fan,' he started to say and then stumbled, landing right on top of Bruce.

"Um, ah, y-you look spectacular, if you don't mind me saying so, Miss Lance,' Clark offered as he tried to right himself, but ending up sitting on Bruce.

"Thank you, Mr. Kent, that's very nice of you, but I'm not sure my date agrees,' she replied with a smile.

"How's that,' Clark asked, still sitting on Bruce.

"Mr. Wayne, Bruce Wayne,' Dinah said, as she uncrossed her legs. Clark seemed to be distracted by her legs just like everyone else.

"Hmm? Who?"

"Bruce Wayne, the man you're sitting on,' Dinah informed him.

"Oh, Jeez," Clark gasped and started to get up.

"Who? Very funny, Kent," Bruce whispered. "Now get off me!"

Clark managed to get off him and uneasily stand.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Wayne, I hope you know it was an accident,' Clark offered in his most sincere voice.

"Forget about it Kent,' Bruce replied, adjusting his suit. "You might want to consider a diet though."

"Right, right, I'm completely sorry, Mr. Wayne."

Even as angry as she was at the comments swirling around her about Clark, Diana had to bite her lower lip to stop from laughing when he sat on Bruce. Others in the area didn't feel the same need, and laughed out loud at the poor clumsy schmuck embarrassing both Bruce Wayne and himself.

Clark gently moved passed Dinah and she smiled at him as she crossed her legs again. He gave his collar a little tug, as if it were just a bit too tight all of a sudden.

"Nice dress,' he whispered.

"Thank you,' she replied with a playful smile.

Diana heard this and didn't like it. He was almost to his seat, so she faced forward not even acknowledging him. Everyone was watching, waiting to see if the big clod would do something embarrassing to Wonder Woman. As he stepped over the Mayor and his wife, Clark almost fell twice. He managed to stop himself and finally made it to his seat. He stood there nervously looking at her and then all around him.

"Um, ah, Miss Wonder Woman, I just wanted you to know it's an honor to sit next to you,' Clark gushed. "I'm Clark Kent, a reporter for the Daily Planet. My boss would have my head if I didn't at least ask for an interview.'

Diana slowly turned and looked at him.

"I'm sorry, what was the name again,' she asked. There was a challenge in her eyes and for just a moment Clark let the façade drop.

"Kent, Clark Kent, Princess."

He could see the fire in her eyes now and knew she wanted to hit him. He smiled and raised the façade again.

"I'm here to see a friend, Mr. Kent, that's all,' Diana slowly replied, keeping her composure. "All interviews are set up by my Embassy. I suggest you contact them."

"Of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Wonder Woman,' Clark quickly said. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"The show's about to start, why don't you sit down, Mr. Kent,' Diana said to him.

"Oh, yes, absolutely,' Clark started to reply and then noticed the Mayor and his wife. "Nice to see you Mr. and Mrs. Mayor, may I say you look lovely tonight ma'am. Boy, quite a night, huh?"

"Thank you, but the show is about to start, Mr. Kent,' the Mayor's wife replied.

"Is it,' Clark said, turning and nearly fell again as he glanced at the stage.

"You seem to be having trouble, Mr. Kent, allow me to help you," Diana offered. Before he could reply she reached up and yanked him into his seat. Clark gave a little gasp as she deposited him firmly into his seat. He looked at Diana, but she wasn't looking at him and then he turned to the Mayor's wife.

"That's Wonder Woman, wow,' he whispered, just to little too loud.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, ' the woman replied.

The lights went down and everyone got quiet. Just before the opening music began, Clark whispered so low that only Diana could hear.

"You're the most beautiful woman here tonight. I just wanted to you to know."

She didn't turn or give any indication she heard him, but as the music started a smile came to her lips.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The worshippers were all digging into the food. The ritual and probably other things had made them very hungry. Jenny had a small bowl and a lighter and was just about to take a hit when she glanced out the front room window. She took the bowl away from her lips and squinted for a moment. She looked down at the bowl and then the lighter, before gazing out the window again.

"Don't Bogart that bowl, Jenny," Dottie said. "I got that expression from Easy Rider. Very hippie stuff.'

When Jenny didn't answer, both Dottie and LuAnn looked at her.

"What's wrong, Jenny,' LuAnn asked.

"You know, maybe Cubby has a point about us doing too much of this stuff,' Jenny replied. "I would swear I just saw a giant woman all dressed in black with metal bands around her body go into the Kent house."

Dottie and LuAnn looked out the window and saw nothing. They turned back to Jenny.

"Wow, you must be really high, you're tripping,' LuAnn said.

"I am so jealous,' Dottie added. "You're like one of those Merry Pranksters on Ken Kesey's bus!"


	31. Chapter 31

Invitations

"Mood - Indigo"

Gotham

The lights were off in the theater. The crowd grew quiet as a spotlight illuminated the center of the stage. Nightmare by Artie Shaw and his Orchestra began. Only a few in the audience probably knew it was homage to her father. The curtains billowed, as if a gust of wind had taken hold of them. Suddenly the scents of jasmine and sandalwood came out of nowhere. The audience began to murmur, a little nervous, yet excited. Another gust of wind hit the stage curtains and they wafted open, rolling silently towards the sides of the stage. Fog drifted off the front of the stage and moved up the aisles. At first the audience didn't see anyone, but then a lone figure suspended fifteen feet in the air appeared.

She was wearing a black cape of some sort. The figures arms shot out to the sides, the black cape fluttering in the air. Bruce leaned forward for a better look, as did Clark.

"That looks like it belongs to you know who,' Dinah whispered.

"Yes it does,' Bruce grumbled.

Further down the row, Clark leaned forward trying to see if he could spot any wires holding the figure up. As he scanned the stage, he suddenly felt a rather intense stare coming from his left. He slowly leaned back and nervously glanced over at Diana. She was facing forward, but her eyes were riveted on him.

"Just trying to see how she's doing it,' he offered. He kept his voice low, so only she could hear him.

"It's a magic show, Kal, let's leave it a mystery, shall we,' Diana replied, pitching her voice so only he could hear, but managing to keep the inflection of her meaning.

"Right."

The figure on stage slowly landed, as the song came to an end. Her back was to the audience, but there was no mistaking whose cape she was imitating. Her arm came up, swirling the cape around her body and then she began to spin. Faster and faster she went until she was just a black blur on the stage. With a flourish, the cape floated away and standing center stage was Zatanna. She was wearing the Robin outfit sans the mask and had a big smile on her face. The outfit was original made for a young man, so she filled it out in a completely different way. Few in the audience were complaining, well, perhaps one.

"Who were you expecting?'

She playfully winked at the audience. The tension broke and the crowd began to laugh and applaud.

"That costume looks very realistic, doesn't it,' Dinah whispered to Bruce.

"She said she only wanted to try it on,' Bruce grumbled under his breath.

Zatanna did another spin and suddenly she was in her traditional outfit. Two decks of cards appeared in her hands and she flung them out over the audience. The cards twirled outwards reaching up to the balcony, then crossed over and headed back towards the stage. One by one, they ended up perfectly in her left hand. The audience applauded, but then gasped as she fired several out at the audience. They headed right for Wally, Shayera, Dinah, Bruce, Clark and Diana.

"Oh, Jeez,' Clark gasped, starting to dive towards the floor. Diana had more enough of his play-acting. She moved with incredible speed and snatched both cards out of the air with one hand, while jerking him back into his seat with the other.

"Stop making a fool of yourself," she whispered. "You already made your point, now you're just showing off."

"You're no fun,' Clark teased under his breath. Out loud he said,' Thanks for saving me, Wonder Woman, you're my hero!"

"You are welcome, Mr. Kent,' she said with a rather forced smile. Around them people were all laughing at the poor sad sack sitting next to Wonder Woman. Clark gave her an apologetic look and then adjusted his tie as if he were nervous. Diana turned back towards the stage.

"No more showing off, Kal, or we will be having a long talk when we get home,' she said, so only he could hear. "I doubt you will think I'm your hero then."

"Right, sorry,' Clark replied. He actually was a little nervous now.

Further down the row, Shayera sighed.

"You can stop hiding behind my wing now, Wally, I caught the cards."

"I wasn't hiding,' he said, moving back into his seat. "I was, um, worried about you. I could have dodge them anytime, but I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"From behind me?"

"It just seemed that way to the untrained eye,' he offered.

"They are playing cards, Wally, I don't think I was in any danger,' she snidely said.

"You'd be surprised,' Wally replied. "You could have gotten a nasty paper cut. Those take forever to heal."

"So you're my savior,' Shayera sarcastically asked.

"I don't like to brag, but yes."

"Right, let's just watch the show."

Zatanna had continued firing cards all over the theater. The only difference was the other cards got right up on the patrons and then stop and returned to her. There was nervous applause as the last one came back to her hand. She smiled at everyone.

"Fasten your seatbelts, folks, you ain't seen nothing yet!"

* * *

Gotham Heights

Lashina moved silently through the house, examining everything. It was tastefully decorated, she had to admit, but she didn't like it. It was rather obvious that the 'Princess' had decorated it. So she's good at that too, Lashina thought, I dislike her even more. She moved into the kitchen and checked out the refrigerator, but there was nothing that interested her there. She glanced at the pots and pans hanging from the rack, but those definitely didn't interest her. Opening the freezer part of the refrigerator, a smile came to Lashina's lips. An almost full bottle of vodka lay on its side. She pulled it out and then found a glass, before heading back into the living room.

She dropped down into one of the large chairs and poured herself a stiff drink. She knew she had plenty of time, so she could relax for a while. She slipped off her steel whips and laid them on the couch next to her. She pulled the knot from her ponytail and let her hair flow out and down around her shoulders. Picking up her glass, she put her feet up on the coffee table and sat back.

As she took a drink and let the cold liquor slide down her throat, Lashina smiled as she thought about her plan. It had taken much longer than normal, but she thought she had a perfect one. Her first instinct was to confront Wonder Woman and have it out with her. While Lashina believed she could beat the Princess, she knew that wouldn't get her what she wanted. This situation called for cleverness, guile and deceit, qualities Lashina had learned from Granny Goodness at the orphanage. Lashina had always excelled in her studies.

Her plan was actually very simple. She would offer Kal-El the one thing no hero could resist, a damsel in distress. She would tell him she had escaped Apokolips and wanted to change her ways. She would tell him she wanted a second chance and had come to him to help her. Lashina knew that was something he couldn't refuse.

She might not understand why he wanted to be a hero, but she certainly understood what motivated him. Lashina knew that Kal-El believed there was good in everyone and that everyone deserved a second chance.

Lashina also knew it would drive the 'Princess' crazy and that just added to her enjoyment. Since she's first met Wonder Woman, Lashina had taken an instant dislike to her. That dislike had grown with ever passing encounter. They were opposites. Diana had grown up in a paradise, surrounded by love and had everything handed to her in Lashina's mind. Lashina had grown up in a living hell and had to claw and scratch for everything she got. They were two sides to the same coin, one representing the light and the other the dark.

Lashina knew she hated Diana. It had gone beyond simple dislike the moment she heard about this bet. Lashina had always assumed the Princess was naïve, but she had figured out a way to spend a whole month with Kal-El so she wasn't that naïve. In her mind, Diana was taking something that rightfully belonged to Lashina, Kal-El. Two people couldn't share the passion they had and then simply forget it. Kal-El might deny it and say he was brainwashed, but Lashina knew there was still a part of him that wanted her.

What had stopped him in the past had been his notion that she was a villain. Lashina's plan would take that obstacle away. Diana might have his heart and mind, but Lashina had his body. Give the right stimulation to the body and the head and heart will follow. The most important thing to Lashina was that if she couldn't have him, Diana didn't. It seemed they had always been on a collusion course, natural rivals, opposites and enemies.

They would fight, it was inevitable Lashina knew, but not now. She would play the helpless refugee from the big bad world of Apokolips and steal Kal-El away from the Princess. Once he was hers, then Wonder Woman would feel the sting of Lashina's wrath.

Sometimes the simplest plans are the best, she thought. She had informed Darkseid directly that she wished to make Kal-El life miserable, and the Dark God had agreed. The truth might be different, but as long as Darkseid was happy, Lashina didn't have to worry about anyone else. She had already proven no one else was her equal on Apokolips. When Bernadeth had betrayed her and left her for dead on this backwater planet, they thought that was the end of her. She had mounted an attack on her home world with only a handful of humans to assist her. The Furies, Granny Goodness and the rest had fallen before her. It was only Darkseid that had stopped her in the end.

With Kal-El at her side, perhaps even the Dark God would be unable to stop her. Those were thoughts for another day. There was much work to be done and it would start tonight.

* * *

Gotham

The show had been a smashing success and people were still talking about it as they exited the theater. The television crews, bloggers, entertainment and print reporters were already filing their stories along with the video and stills. They would mention that Wonder Woman had attended, but none even thought about the clod that had the good fortune to sit next to her. If you asked them, they wouldn't even remember his name. They would give a vague description of him, large, clumsy, but would be hard pressed to describe his face.

Princess Diana would be one of the leads for the story. Bruce Wayne and Dinah Lance would certainly make all the media outlets, along with Flash and Hawk Girl. The three women would get more coverage, as what they wore would be the topic of many reports. Who they were with or weren't with would also be a topic of gossip.

Zatanna was feeling wonderful, as the show had gone just as she planned. No one saw the continuous rehearsal and countless hours of work she put in to make it seem so effortless. A small afterparty was taking place backstage for friends and celebrities. Everyone turned and applauded as she walked in. Zee stood there beaming before waving them off.

There were probably sixty to seventy people mingling around. Diana had met several celebrities and politely chatted with them, but her eyes were scanning the crowd. She didn't see him, but somehow knew he was here. Diana glanced around the room as she sipped her drink and noticed that many of the League members had arrived for the afterparty. They had to work or couldn't get tickets, but had shown up to support one of their own. It was something she always liked about being part of a team, that it became more than just a working relationship and something of a community. She noticed Bruce and Dinah were off to the side engaged in some discussion. Before she could get his attention, another celebrity approached and she politely began a conversation.

* * *

Bruce had to admit, he'd enjoyed the show. It had been awhile since he'd seen her act, but it was still amazing. Her dad would be proud. Normally he would have stopped back and congratulated Zatanna and then slipped away as the crowd gather, but something stopped him tonight. Somehow he knew it was important for Dinah to be here, to take the time off from work and just enjoy herself.

It was a strange position for him to be in. In many ways, Bruce knew what his flaws were, but he had pushed them to the side, as he got deeper into his mission. Attachments created distractions, so he always tried to keep everyone at arm's length. He knew his single-minded focus on the mission had also cost him greatly on the personal side of his life. Relationships that might have blossomed into something amazing, he'd sacrificed for the greater cause. Each year he because more the Batman than Bruce Wayne, and that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

Watching Dinah of late had been like taking a trip into his own past. The drive, the single-minded focus, the cutting herself off from relationships all were hauntingly familiar to him. She was fast approaching a pivotal moment in her life, just as he had all those years ago. He still remembered it as if it were yesterday. Gordon had just made commissioner and installed the Bat-signal on the roof of the police headquaters. Their first meeting had been to discuss a new villain that was causing trouble in Gotham. It was still hard for Bruce to believe that was the first night he heard the name, The Joker. The rest as they say, is history.

Dinah hadn't gone all that way yet. Some would say it was hypocritical of him, but Bruce knew what awaited her if she followed his path. He never wanted that for anyone, especially not Dinah. If Ollie wasn't going to step up, that meant someone else had to. As strange as it seemed, Batman wasn't the one to do it, Bruce Wayne was. The very person he'd almost stopped being, he would have to become again if he was going to change Dinah's path.

He couldn't do it alone, but then Dinah had friends. One of them had set them up on this date. Others had been in the audience. All these thoughts were running through his mind as he chatted with Dinah, always keeping the topic on the show and not on her investigation.

"So do you always dress like this when you don't want to go on a date,' he playfully asked. "Cause I have to tell you, it seems rather counterproductive."

"How so,' she asked, taking the bait.

"You look amazing, so a man's going to want to ask you out again,' he replied.

"I never figured you for a leg man, Bruce,' Dinah countered. "I wear a short dress and suddenly you can't stop talking about it."

"I'm sure there's a lot of things you don't know about me."

"That sounds like a challenge."

"Take it anyway you want,' he said with a smile. Before she could continue, Zatanna came over to both of them.

"So what did you think," Zee asked with a big smile. She glanced at Dinah's dress and whistled. "Hot, but how do you sit down without flashing everybody?"

"Very carefully,' Dinah joked. "The show was great, Zee."

"Yes, it was, although I didn't care for the opening that much,' Bruce added.

"Just thought I'd add a little local flavor to the mix,' Zee offered.

"By stealing costumes that someone told you not to,' he asked.

"Don't listen to him, Zee, he's still out of sorts about what Clark did before the show began,' Dinah said.

'What he do,' Zee asked.

"Why don't you tell her, Bruce?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, tell me please, please,' Zee begged.

Bruce looked at the two women and saw they weren't going to stop. He gave a sigh, as he knew what the reaction would be.

"He sat on me,' Bruce said, barely above a whisper. Zatanna's face lit up and she practically bounced up and down with joy. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth she tried to keep a straight face.

"Could you repeat that,' she said, a small giggle slipping out.

"You heard me, I'm not repeating it,' Bruce grumbled.

She couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. Zatanna has one of those laughs that are infectious, and soon Dinah was joining her. Bruce gave them both a look, but this only made them laugh harder.

"I'm never going to heard the end of this, am I?"

* * *

Across the hall, Diana had just finished a conversation with a producer. He was pitching a commercial for make-up to her, but she politely told him she didn't wear any. He seemed to be having a hard time processing this and walked away mumbling to himself.

"Hello Diana."

She turned to see a man smiling at her. It took a moment for her to place him, but then it dawned on her.

"Jonn! I'm so glad you came,' she said with a smile.

"Well, I couldn't make the show, but I thought for once I'd come to the party."

"I'm glad you did."

'Are you enjoying your evening, Diana,' Jonn asked.

"The show was very good, yes,' Diana offered.

"Yes, I heard,' Jonn replied. "I don't see your 'husband' is he here?"

"Yes and no,' she said.

"I see.'

* * *

Standing in the back of the room, Clark Kent was taking it all in. He spoke to only a few people, as most were busy trying to talk to someone famous. In some ways he preferred it like this, having been in this position too many times to count. He knew he'd gone a little overboard earlier and Diana wasn't happy about it. For some strange reason he wanted her to see him like that. He wanted her to understand that the man she was living with wasn't who he was most of the time.

As he looked at her across the room, he wished it didn't have to be that way. He would like to be like Bruce, standing there chatting away with Zatanna and Dinah. He couldn't though. Maybe it all stemmed from guilt, he wasn't sure, but Clark felt a desperate need to protect those close to him. The memory of Jonathan Kent death and not being there to save him still haunted Clark. So few people were close to him, that losing any of them was a wound that would never heal. Clark knew that given how long he might live, they would all disappear much to soon as it was, so he wanted to do everything he could to keep them safe as long as possible.

Maybe that was why he got so caught up the last two weeks. Living with Diana, he didn't have to be the mild mannered Clark Kent he usually was. No one knew them in the suburbs, so he could relax and just enjoy himself. It was such an unexpected change in his life. He was so used to acting a certain way that not having to was amazing. For a while he forgot, but reality came rushing back to him. Tonight he had to play the role again. Maybe the reason he'd overdone it was so Diana would see and understand.

Glancing around the room, there was a twinge of envy. Diana, Shayera and Zatanna didn't bother with secret identities. The same went for John. Maybe they'd made the right choice, Clark would never know.

"She looks lovely, doesn't she?'

Clark turned to see John Constantine standing next to him. He was smoking and he saw Clark's confusion, so he gestured with his cigarette towards Zatanna.

"Yes, she does,' Clark finally said. "She's quite the showman."

"Her friend has a pair of legs on her too,' Constantine said with a smirk. "Mr. Wayne is a lucky man."

"Yes."

"Course you got nothing to complain about, do you,' Constantine said, turning to look at Clark. "You're with the most beautiful woman in the room, right mate?'

"You mean Wonder Woman,' Clark replied, falling back into his persona. "I just sat next to her, is all. We're not together. I wish."

"Yeah, I heard what everyone else heard in the theater, but my eyes tell me different. I've got a nose from these sorts of things,' Constantine countered. "Don't worry, I can keep a secret, brother."

"You really have the wrong idea."

"Okay, have it your way, I'm just here for the free food and booze anyway,' Constantine said, chugging down his drink. "Still, she is a damn handsome woman, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"How did you get in,' Zatanna suddenly shouted, as she came over to Clark and Constantine. Thankfully, no one except them heard her over the noise of the crowd. Clark looked from one to the other. He had always thought they were friends, but right now he wasn't sure.

"Amazing show, love,' Constantine offered. "Nice party too."

"Yes, it is, but you weren't invited,' she fired back.

"Well, since you did give me a ticket to the show, I sort of invited myself."

"Shocker,' Zee sarcastically replied. "Free stuff and you appear, what are the odds?"

"You wound me,' Constantine said. He turned his attention to Dinah as she came walking over. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"No."

"I'm Dinah Lance."

Zee gave her a look, but then introduced Constantine.

"That's John and this is Mr. Kent, the reporter."

"Yes, we already met when he sat on my date,' Dinah said with a big smile. Zee and Constantine couldn't help smiling at this.

"That was well done," Constantine offered.

"Purely an accident,' Clark said.

"I don't think Bruce believes that,' Dinah said.

"God, I would have loved to be there to see the look on his face,' Zatanna giggled.

"I think that calls for a drink,' Constantine said, as he grabbed a couple off a passing waiter's tray.

* * *

Across the hall Diana had finally spotted Clark. He was standing with Zatanna. She was just about to go over, when out of the corner of her eye she saw Bruce heading her way.

"Diana,' he said, as he stepped up next to her.

"Bruce."

"You look lovely tonight."

"Thank you."

"You wanted to talk to me about something yesterday,' Bruce began. "If you still want to, I'm all yours."

"If only that were true,' she replied.

"Meaning?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter now,' Diana said with a shake of her head. "So did you enjoy the show?"

They did their best to engage in small talk, but it wasn't something that came natural between them. Wally and Jonn mercifully came over and the four of them stood talking about the evening and the show.

* * *

Bruce took a sip of his drink as Wally related to Jonn and Diana his heroism at saving Shayera from the deadly cards. His eyes shifted over to where Zatanna and Dinah were standing. He made a mental note that Constantine was there as well. Something about the man bothered Bruce. He knew Constantine was generally on the side of good, but he didn't like him. The fact that he was a friend of Zatanna only added to his dislike.

His eyes shifted to her, and watched as she laughed and ran her hand down Clark's arm. She's such a flirt, he thought. He didn't even have to hear what she was saying, because if she was talking, she was flirting. Bruce hadn't even considered the idea of her with Clark before, not really, but seeing them standing together he suddenly realized it was a possibility. They had certainly spent enough time together when Clark did his interview with her. It was frustrating that she had put up some kind of magical barrier so he couldn't hear what they were saying.

Bruce didn't like the idea of Zatanna with Clark either.

* * *

Diana was half listening as Wally and Jonn went back and forth about the events from earlier. Jonn was skeptical of Wally's version. She took a sip from her glass and glanced out the corner of her eye. Clark was still talking to Zatanna and Dinah. They seemed to be having a wonderful time, she noticed. Whoever the man with them was, he seemed to be telling stories and they were all laughing. Diana noticed immediately the way Zatanna kept brushing against Clark. If she didn't know better, she would have thought Dinah was flirting with him too.

That dress Dinah was wearing certainly seemed to capture everyone's attention. Was Kal a legman, she wondered? He'd certainly flirted with her while doing his ridiculous act before the show. Diana had thought they were clear on this topic, but apparently he hadn't thought she was serious. He'd flirted with Shayera as well, she hadn't forgotten that either. They were definitely going to have a talk when they got home.

"So what do you think, Diana,' Wally asked.

'What? What do I think about what,' she replied, startled by the question.

"What was the best moment of the show for you?"

She looked at Wally and Jonn and then noticed Bruce was glancing over at Clark and Zatanna's group.

"I would have to say when Clark sat on Bruce."

His head snapped back and looked her right in the eye.

"I didn't find that very amusing, Princess,' he said, his voice very calm and controlled.

"That's what made it funny,' Wally said with a laugh. Diana couldn't help but laugh now, as the look on Bruce's face was priceless.

Across the room, Constantine was telling Dinah about one of the times he'd needed Zatanna's help and she was laughing. Clark was listening, but his eyes were looking across the room. Diana and Bruce were together. He didn't like it.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Lashina was exploring the house, getting the lay of the land. She was upstairs and had just discovered there was only one bedroom. It had a very big bed in it, but she definitely didn't like the idea of them sharing a bedroom. She remembered hearing Supergirl say that Kal-El had promised not to do anything with the 'Princess 'while they were living here, but she found this hard to believe.

They were a man and woman sleeping in the same bed; something was going on, Lashina thought. Grumbling to herself, she went over and looked in the closets. His clothes were sort of ordinary, but then she had seen him wearing that sort of thing before.

Rustling through Diana's closet, Lashina was surprised by what she found. They were rather conservative in her view. She had always been of the mind that if you've got it, flaunt it, hence her current outfit. Perhaps this will turn out to be another advantage for me, Lashina thought.

* * *

Gotham

The after party was over. Zatanna, Dinah, Shayera and Constantine were heading out for more partying. Dinah hadn't wanted to and tried begging off, but the others had insisted. Bruce slipped away when no one was looking. Wally and Jonn were heading back up the station. Wally was going to change into civilian clothes and meet the others later. Diana was in her limousine, alone again.

When it reached the outskirts of the city, she had it pull over. She would fly the rest of the way. Diana thanked her assistant and took off. A few minutes later she arrived at the warehouse where her car was waiting. Ollie owned it and it was basically empty. It was sort of a launching point for her and Kal, a transition point between the outside world and the suburbs. It was the last place they could use their powers before entering Gotham Heights.

She arrived and noticed immediately he wasn't there yet. Late again, she thought. Diana started to pace, running over the events of the night in her mind. She wondered if she might have been too forceful when she talked to Zatanna earlier. Diana admitted she could have started with a better question than was Zee trying to sleep with her husband. Zatanna had been rather flabbergasted and quickly denied it. Their conversation didn't take as long as Diana thought it might. She did notice that Zatanna steered clear of both of them after that.

The sound of a rush of wind made Diana turn and watch as Kal landed. He smiled at her as he strolled over towards the car.

"Interesting night, " he offered.

She didn't say anything at first and just stood looking at him. She wasn't smiling.

"Diana?"

She still didn't answer him.

"You're angry with me, aren't you?"

The frustration she'd been feeling since he'd told her they couldn't go together added with what she saw as his antics all night seemed to come to a boil. She smacked him, and then smacked him again.

"Ow, hey!"

"What? Are you going to stumble and fall on me now,' she spat out at him and then hit Clark again. "There's nobody here for you to shamelessly flirt with right in front of me, is there!"

She was getting angrier by the second. In self-defense, Clark finally grabbed both her wrists and held them down at her sides. They were pressed against each other and he could see the fire in her eyes.

"Diana, I explained this before we left,' he started to say, but Diana wrenched her hands away and then kissed him. He was caught off guard by the kiss and the fiery passion behind it. He found himself responding before he even knew it. His arms circled her and pulled her tight. Diana poured all the passion and anger boiling inside into the kiss. When she finally pulled away, he was stunned and more than a bit aroused.

"We're married, Kal, that means we're in a relationship,' Diana forcefully said. "When we get home we are going to have a long talk about this. Now get in the car, I'm driving!"

He stood there, still stunned over the kiss. She glared at him, then turned and marched to the driver side and got in. Almost reflexively, he walked over and got in the passenger side.

* * *

Gotham Heights

They hadn't spoke since the warehouse, both deep in their own thoughts. Something had happened between them and they were both trying to process it. They walked up to the front door and Clark put his key in the lock. They entered and Diana moved over to turn on the lights. They both stopped in their tracks as they saw who was in their living room.

Lashina got up from the chair and walked straight up to Clark and kissed him.

"Thank heavens I've finally found you, Kal-El,' she said. "I've left Apokolips and need your help. You are the only one that can save me!'

"Lashina?'

Clark was more than a little confused and her name came out of his mouth as a bewildered question.

"Lashina!"

Diana said the name with a completely different inflection.


	32. Chapter 32

Vote

"There's always one"

Gotham Heights

Lashina was very happy, Clark was more than a little confused and Diana was very unhappy.

"You left Apokolips,' Clark asked. He disengaged himself from Lashina's embrace and took a step backwards. Diana took a step forwards. Lashina gave her a glance, but returned her focus to Clark.

"Yes."

"Why,' Diana asked. She was ready for any attack and wouldn't put anything past this woman. Lashina almost smiled at this and then turned and looked at Diana directly.

"You've been to Apokolips and seen what it's like," Lashina offered. "Isn't that a good enough reason?"

"Normally, yes, but not for you,' Diana replied.

"So much for that Amazon mission of peace and understand,' Lashina remarked and then turned back to Clark. "I don't expect her to believe me. I'm not even sure you will, Kal-El, but you're my only hope. Please, help me."

Lashina threw in the 'please' just to sound a little more vulnerable.

"All I ask is a second chance,' she added. She let her eyes drifted lower so she presented a more downcast image to him. Lashina didn't expect to win the 'Princess' over, but she wasn't her primary audience. She stepped a little closer to Clark, letting her shoulder droop while holding her hands in front of her.

"I don't know, Lashina, this all seems a little hard to believe,' Clark said.

She looked up at him, batting her long eyelashes, her lower lip quivering just a little bit.

"Are you saying it's too late,' she asked. "Can't someone change her ways? Is there no second chances, Kal-El?"

Diana wasn't buying any of it. She rolled her eyes at Lashina's antics and shifted from one foot to the other, still ready for a fight.

"She's laying it on a little thick, isn't she," Diana observed.

"Diana, please."

"You're not seriously thinking of believing her, are you,' Diana asked. She turned now to completely face him, not quite believe he could fall for Lashina's act. Clark looked at Lashina again and then back to Diana.

"Lashina, would you wait out here, please, Diana and I need to talk about this,' Clark said.

"I have nowhere else to go,' Lashina replied. She moved over and sat down on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. Clark gestured towards the kitchen and Diana nodded.

"Get your feet off my table,' Diana said as she walked towards the kitchen. "Now."

Lashina waited a beat and then slowly removed them. Clark looked at her again and then followed Diana.

* * *

Moments later in the kitchen, Diana turned, her arms cross as she looked at Clark.

"I don't trust her, Kal."

He ran his fingers through his hair, still trying to wrap his head about everything that was happening.

"I don't either, Diana,' he replied. "But what if she's being honest?"

"She's not,' Diana said. 'This is some scheme of hers. I don't know what yet, but she's up to something."

He nodded, but there was just something nagging him about this.

"Maybe, but on the outside chance she's not, I think we have to consider this,' he offered.

Diana immediately understood where this was going for him. He always wanted to see the best in everyone. While it appeared naïve to her, she knew he truly believed no one was beyond redemption. She could try and convince him this woman was different, that it was all a lie, but here in their home wasn't the place to do it.

"Then we should let the others know about it,' Diana suggested. "This isn't something we should decided right here and now. We should take her up to the Watchtower."

"Okay, I can go along with that."

Clark turned and glanced out towards the living room. He doubted Lashina's honesty almost as much as Diana did, but there was still a part of him that couldn't dismiss her out of hand. Hadn't he been given a second chance? Hadn't Scott Free and Barda escaped Apokolips? Weren't they given a second chance here on Earth? Hadn't each member of the League given second chances to people just as bad, if not worse than Lashina?

A second chance, redemption, those were powerful ideas for Clark.

Diana believed in second chances too, but what she didn't believe in was Lashina. Few people she had met in her life spawned the sort of enmity that Lashina did in Diana. She had fought her share of villains, from Ares to Cheetah, but none grated on her quite like Lashina did. With the others, there was a reason or an explanation for why they did what they did. Ares was part of Diana's pantheon and war and strife were his role, just as Aphrodite's was love. Cheetah had sold her soul to a plant-god for power and immortality, not realizing she'd be bound in eternal servitude to him. There seemed to be mitigating circumstances with all of them.

Lashina was different in Diana's mind. She did the things she did because she enjoyed them. She was cruel and vicious because she liked being cruel and vicious. She enjoyed serving Darkseid, as long as it afforded her the opportunity to inflict pain and suffering on others. Lashina was everything Diana despised. They were opposites, reflections of each other. One embraced all that was wrong, while the other tried to promote everything that was right.

Diana knew Lashina recognized it too. Even though they had limited dealings with each other up to this point, they were mortal enemies and always would be.

Diana already knew what her vote would be on Lashina's supposed second chance. She also knew she couldn't just dictate to Clark what they should do. She could tell he had some history with Lashina that she didn't know about. Lashina had made that obvious by coming to him with this. That was just another reason for Diana to despise her.

"I'll contact Jonn and have him relay what is happening to the others,' she finally said. Another idea occurred to her, one that would end this charade right here and now. "I think first, though, I should use my lasso on her. We will know right away whether she is telling the truth or not."

"I don't think she'll go for that,' Clark replied. He knew more than most about Lashina's volatility and he didn't see this working well.

"If she has nothing to hide, she has nothing to worry about."

Diana headed back out to the living room. As if to annoy her, Lashina's feet were back on the coffee table.

"I used a coaster,' Lashina offered and then slowly took them down again. Diana thought of a few choice words she wanted to say, but didn't give into temptation. Clark was right behind her, a little worried this situation could easily get out of hand.

"You say you escaped Apokolips and want a second chance,' Diana asked. "Is that the truth?"

"Yes."

"Why don't we put it to the test, then?"

With a quick spin, Diana was in her Wonder Woman costume. She uncoiled the Lasso and held it in front of her.

"This lasso burns with a magical aura of the Fires of Hestia, forcing anyone within the lasso's confines to be truthful," she stated. "Why don't we just bind you with it and see what the truth is?"

Lashina was on her feet now. In all her careful planning she had overlooked Diana's lasso. She needed to think fast, if she was going to avoid it.

"No,' Lashina said, backing up. Diana stepped forward, holding the lasso out in front of her. There was a smile on her face as she looked at Lashina.

"If you have nothing to hide, what is the problem, Lashina?"

"When I was young, I was bound against my will,' Lashina said, putting the couch between her and Diana. She knew she needed a good excuse at this moment, so she fell back on her own experiences. She would use the truth this time to avoid being forced to tell the whole truth. "In Granny Goodness' orphanage, I was bound and shackled, then beaten and tortured. I swore to myself that one day I would be strong enough so no one would ever do that to me again. I am a warrior, Amazon, I submit to no one, ever. You will just have to take my word as a warrior."

Lashina uncoiled her whips, ready to strike of Diana insisted.

"As one warrior to another, Wonder Woman, I give you warning, I would rather fight than submit."

Diana hesitated. As much as she despised her, Diana had to acknowledge that Lashina was a warrior. As an Amazon, Diana had been raised by the warrior's code. The very bracelets all Amazons wore were to remind them of their own enslavement and that they would never let it happen again. Diana's own people were warriors; they would rather fight and die than ever submit again. Diana was a warrior too. She could not ask Lashina to do something she wouldn't do. That was the warrior's code. Diana reattached her lasso to her belt.

"Very well, we will do this another way,' Diana finally said.

Lashina almost smiled at this. She'd gambled on the Amazon's sense of fair play and won. The Princess probably believed in the warrior's code, Lashina mused, how foolish.

"Okay, estrogen levels off the charts in this room,' Clark offered, trying to break the tension. "Why don't we all transport up to the Watchtower and discuss this?"

"I will go wherever you want me to, Kal-El,' Lashina offered, looking only at him.

"Oh, please,' Diana muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Right, um, ah, Jonn, three to transport up," Clark said into his communicator.

* * *

Gotham

The music was deafening and the club was packed. Dinah had spent more time in Gotham than probably anyone in her group, yet she'd never heard of this place. Constantine had brought them. Low by Cracker shouted from the speakers, as Zatanna and Shayera danced. Wally was chatting up a young woman, well more like shouting up a young woman, but he didn't seem to be having any success.

Dinah turned to see Constantine weaving his way back from the bar, holding shots in his hands. He seemed completely in his element here. He greeted Zee and Shayera and handed them both shots. Wally had been shot down, so he was called over to join them. Dinah shook her head no when they signaled to her. She just watched at they clinched glasses and downed the shots. Wally gasped, whiled the others shrieked. They all started to laugh as they were having a wonderful time.

Normally Dinah would have been right in there with them, but not tonight. She didn't' feel much like partying and hadn't even wanted to come. Zee had insisted, so Dinah thought she would give it a try. Red Flags and Long Nights by She Wants Revenge began pulsing through everything. The four of them dancing seemed to be the focus of everyone in the club and with good reason, Dinah thought. Another young man asked her to dance, but mercifully her communicator went off. Politely she turned him down and then tried cupping her hand to her ear, but it was pointless. She finally stepped outside and asked Jonn to repeat what he was saying. Dinah replied she would be there in a few minutes.

* * *

The Watchtower

Kara, Courtney and Mary were sitting in the cafeteria discussing what they were going to do when they finished their shift. Kara's idea of fun was slightly different than Mary's.

"A G rated animated movie, seriously,' Kara asked. "Only old farts and their grandkids go to those. I want to have fun. Why don't we go to Gotham and see if we can find Zatanna. I'll bet she's having fun right now."

"Gotham's dangerous,' Mary replied. "It's a bad city."

"Well, Candyland probably closed for the night, Mary, besides, bad sounds fun to me."

"Hey, there's your cousin, Kara,' Courtney spoke up, pointing towards the door. "Diana's with him and that other woman I'm not sure I know."

"That's Lashina!" Kara growled out the name. Her own experiences on Apokolips had left a rather negative impression on Kara. Next to Darkseid and Granny Goodness, Lashina was a focal point of her anger.

"From the Furies,' Courtney asked. She looked at Lashina with more respect now. "Isn't she evil or something?"

"Yes, she is,' Kara replied, her eyes angrily watching them walk by the cafeteria. The sound of a chair pushing away from the table caused Kara to turn. Mary was standing up, her hands balled up in fists. There was a wild look in her eyes.

"Let's kick her evil ass,' Mary shouted. The few people in the cafeteria turned and stared at Mary, not sure if they'd actually heard her say that. Courtney felt all the eyes on their table and was embarrassed.

"Shit, Mary, watch the fucking dirty language, would you,' Courtney complained.

Kara turned and looked at Courtney now.

"Nice," Kara said. "So you've just given up on your promise to Pat about not swearing, haven't you?"

"I thought she was going to go all psycho girl on us again,' Courtney said, trying to justify herself. "She freaked me out last time."

Mary shoved the table they were sitting at to the side and looked at them.

"So are you Nancy boys going to just sit on your fat asses all night or are we going to kick that evil bitch's ass,' Mary challenged them.

"I'm not fat,' Courtney shouted. She turned to Kara. "See? Psycho girl and here come the insults! First it was I'm a bitch, now I'm a fat ass Nancy boy!"

"Nancy boys? What the hell, Mary, that doesn't even make sense,' Kara replied. "Are we going to have to get Jonn in here again?'

"No,' Mary said softly, sitting back down. Kara looked at her two friends, wondering what the hell was going on with them.

"You should apologize, Mary," Courtney said.

"I'm sorry, you don't have a fat ass, Courtney."

"Thank you. I don't know what a Nancy boy is, so we'll let that slide."

Kara moved the table back into place and tried giving a reassuring smile to the others in the room. She turned back to Mary and Courtney as she sat back down.

"Look, I hate Lashina, but she's with Clark and Diana so it must be something important,' Kara offered. "They'll tell us when they think it's necessary, okay?"

The other two nodded.

"Screw Lashina, let's not let her ruin our night. So now, how about we head to Gotham? I heard earlier that guy Constantine was with Zee, so you know they're having a wild time,' Kara said, a big smile coming to her face.

"Wouldn't that be wrong,' Mary asked. "We're underage and shouldn't be in those sort of places."

"Could you land somewhere in the emotional middle, please, Mary,' Kara asked. "One minute it's Mary Poppins and then the next it's the Road Warrior."

* * *

The Watchtower Conference Room

Dinah had just arrived and was followed by Bruce. They were both in costumes and turned as the door opened and Clark, Diana and Lashina entered. The door was just about to close when Plastic Man slithered through.

"A meeting?" Plastic Man was all smiles as he looked at everyone and then sat down. "I live for meetings!"

"Who's that imbecile,' Lashina asked.

Dinah leaned over and whispered to Bruce,' Well, maybe she's not all bad."

"Why don't we all take a seat,' Jonn suggested. Clark moved over to his customary seat and Lashina followed him and sat right next to him. Diana held her tongue and walked over and sat on the other side of Clark. Jonn waited a moment till everyone was comfortable and then turned to Dinah.

"Where are Flash and Hawk Girl?"

"They were out with Zee and Constantine,' she replied. "They already started partying so I figured they should probably skip this meeting under the circumstances."

"How drunk were they,' Batman asked.

"On their way."

"All right, then this will have to do,' Jonn said.

"Point of order, Senor Martian,' Plastic Man said.

"Yes?"

"I think we should all introduce ourselves, just in case some of us aren't familiar with everyone."

"Is he really with your group," Lashina asked Clark. "What is he like a pet or something?"

"Lashina, that's Plastic Man and yes he's in the group,' Clark replied. "Plastic Man, this is Lashina, formerly of the Female Furies of Apokolips."

"Allegedly former,' Diana quickly added.

"Howdy-do!" Plastic Man stretched his hand across the table. Lashina just sat there looking at it for a moment. Slowly she turned to Clark.

"Your pet is starting to bother me, take it away."

"Yeah, definitely not all bad,' Dinah whispered to Bruce.

"I think that will suffice for introductions, Plastic Man,' Jonn continued. "I think we should get right to the matter at hand. Lashina, why don't you tell us all why you are here?"

She looked at Clark and he nodded. Slowly she rose to her full height and looked at each of them around the table.

"I left Apokolips and everything I had,' she started. "I came here for a fresh start. A second chance, if you will. I turned to the only one I knew would listen before judging me, Kal-El. I ask no special favors, just a chance and his protection."

"That all sounds nice, but why did you leave,' Diana asked.

"For the same reason Barda did,' Lashina replied.

"And what was that,' Jonn asked.

"I had enough. Any other questions?"

"How much do you weight,' Plastic Man asked.

"Okay, I don't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with the Fury,' Dinah spoke up. "Plastic Man, get out!"

"She said any other questions," he justified. "You notice she dodged it, very telling."

"Let's try and focus on the matter at hand,' Jonn interrupted.

"Can you read her, Jonn," Diana asked.

"No, she isn't letting me."

"Will you allow that, Lashina,' Dinah asked.

"No.'

They all sat there for a moment, unsure how to proceed.

'So we are just expected to take you word for all of this,' Batman finally said. "We have no way of proving anything you say. You won't let Jonn scan you to see if you're telling the truth. I imagine the same goes for Diana's lasso, too. You want us to just take your word, is that about the size of it?"

"Yes,' Lashina replied.

"Why should we," Batman asked.

"I don't care if you do or don't, human," Lashina offered. "I'm asking only one of you to accept my word. What the rest of you think of me is of no concern."

Lashina returned Batman's gaze, not flinching under his cold stare. In her mind he was no challenge to her, so all his theatrics and posing meant nothing.

"You give us no reason to believe you, Lashina," Jonn stated. "This could all be a ploy on Darkseid's part. You must realize this."

"If you believe that, you're wrong,' she replied. Her statement was actually almost the whole truth. Her plan had nothing to do with Darkseid.

"Very well,' Jonn said. "Would you mind stepping into the outside for a moment, while we discuss this amongst ourselves?"

Lashina glanced at Clark and then silently walked out of the room.

"So,' Jonn asked, looking at the others.

"How do you think she gets into the outfit,' Plastic Man said. "It looks painted on and I didn't see a zipper anywhere."

"She's right about one thing,' Diana replied. "You're an imbecile."

"Am I?" He countered. "Or are you just trying to deny that it's Kismet or Annie Get Your Gun, one of those old musicals between us?"

"No, you're an imbecile."

"Am I really? Or am I just …" Plastic Man started to say, but was cut off.

"Okay, that's enough of that,' Bruce said. "I think we have to decide what to do about Lashina. I don't trust her or believe her. I think we should lock her up in a holding cell until we know one way or another."

"I agree,' Diana immediately added.

"I'd like to challenge her to a tether ball game,' Plastic Man said.

"Okay, really, get out this time,' Dinah replied. He looked at the others and then all nodded in agreement. Turning himself into a spring, Plastic Man bounced out of the room.

"Now that he has left, what charge would we hold Lashina on," Jonn asked.

"She's been part of attacking this world many times,' Diana said. "That should be plenty to put her behind bars."

"She also represents a hostile foreign power,' Bruce added. "We have nothing but her rather dubious word to contradict that."

"Dinah, what do you think?"

"I don't know, I guess I would agree, we should probably lock her up.'

"For how long,' Clark finally spoke.

"Until we know she's sincere and not a danger to this world,' Bruce replied.

"And how will we know that," Clark asked. "In the mean time, who is going to be her jailer, you? Me? Will we take shifts coming up here to watch her?"

"You can't trust her, Clark."

"This place wasn't set up to be a jail, Bruce."

"Then there must be a jail somewhere on Earth we can put her,' Diana offered.

"Do we put her on trial? I'm uncomfortable with the idea of locking someone up indefinitely without a trial,' Clark said.

"What do you suggest,' Jonn asked.

"Let her stay here tonight, I'll take responsibility of her in the morning,' Clark suggested.

"No,' Diana said, not able to hold back. "I know you want to believe her, Kal, but you can't trust her."

"Then I'll find out,' he replied.

"That's a mistake,' Bruce said.

"Maybe, but how else are we going to find out if she really is being honest about wanting a second chance? Sitting in a cell up here isn't going to prove anything.'

"So what?' Diana asked him. "Are you going to convert the den into a guest bedroom for her?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm just asking you, Diana, all of you to trust me on this,' Clark replied. "I have all the doubts you have, but I can't dismiss the possibility that she's being truthful. If she really wants a second chance, I'm willing to give it to her."

"I'm not,' Bruce said.

"I know, I'm asking you to let me be responsible for her,' Clark offered. "I'm asking you to trust me."

He looked at each of the members sitting around the table.

"Okay, she's yours,' Dinah said.

"I'll go along with it,' Jonn added.

"Bruce?'

"I think it's a terrible mistake, but I'll trust you for now."

"Diana."

"All right, but we'll talk about this more, later," she softly said.

"Thank you all."

"So where is she going to stay tonight,' Dinah asked.

"She can stay in my quarters,' Clark said. "You can monitor her much better if she's there."

"Agreed."

* * *

Outside the Conference Room

Lashina leaned casually against the wall, waiting for their decision. She knew this was a risk, but she was gambling on two things. One was Kal-El. If she had tried an elaborate plan, he would have seen through it. By simply asking for a second chance, she had made it a matter of conscious. She knew his would always come down on the side of giving her a chance. The second thing she was gambling on was that they were all heroes. It was her experience that heroes always want to believe. Whether if was a better tomorrow, truth or just that there was good in everyone, they all wanted to believe it.

She glanced down the hallway and saw some of the other members looking at her. It spoke to who these people were that she hadn't been thrown into chains the moment she arrived. If the situation was reversed, she had no doubt they all would be in dungeons on Apokolips suffering torture at Granny or Desaad's hands by now. No, it was that belief they had that would win her the day.

The door slid open and she turned to see Kal-El exit, followed by the others. She immediately shifted, as if nervous about what they would say.

"All right, Lashina, you get your chance at a second chance," Clark said. "I'll show you where you're staying tonight."

"I'm not staying with you,' she asked.

"No, not tonight."

She didn't like that, but decided not to push it at this point. She'd managed to make it over the first hurdle and there would be time for the rest.

'All right, whatever you say, Kal-El."

* * *

Gotham

There was a look of shock on Mary's face, a look of wonder on Courtney's and a look of excitement on Kara's as they stood just inside the entrance of the club. 911 is a Joke by Public Enemy was just finishing and the DJ followed it up with Jump Around by House of Pain. The music seemed to assault them from all sides. A man painted silver bounced by tossing glitter in the air. The very floor seemed to bouncing under their feet.

"I don't think we should be here,' Mary nervously said.

"I know, let's dance,' Kara shouted and started pulling her two friends through the crowd towards the center of the dance floor.

"Kara, that last song didn't present a very good message,' Mary protested.

"A little less Mary Poppins and more Road Warrior, Mary,' Kara replied.

"What?"

"Just fucking dance, Mary,' Courtney shouted.

"You really do suck at that promise thing, don't you?'

"Shut up and dance!"

The three joined in, merging with the crowd. The whole club was a madhouse. As they continued to dance, they spotted Zatanna and Shayera.

"Hi, Miss Zatara and Miss Hol,' Mary shouted and waved.

"Jeez, Mary, at least try and play it cool, will you,' Kara shouted at her. "We're not supposed to be here, remember?"

It was already too late; Zee and Shayera had seen them. They made their way across the dance floor to them.

"How did you three get in here,' Shayera demanded.

"Yes, good question,' Zee added, though she seemed a little distracted. "I thought Constantine was getting shots?"

"Focus, Zee, focus,' Shayera reminded her.

"Right, right,' she replied and then turned her attention to Kara and the others. "You shouldn't be in here."

"We're just dancing,' Kara offered.

"Oh, well, than have fun,' Zee said and started to turn away. Shayera grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No, no, as senior members it's our responsibility to set good examples for these three,' Shayera said.

"Really,' Zee asked.

"Yes."

At that moment, Wally came bouncing over.

"I got digits! Read them and weep!"

"Are they from a woman,' Zee asked.

"Yes, there from a woman!"

"A real woman, Wally or one of the girls on the TV again,' Zee said with a smirk.

"Hey, that was your friend, Constantine's fault,' Wally shouted. "He told me it was a camera here in the club and that she was into me!"

"Did someone mention my name,' Constantine said. He was carrying more shots and passed them out. "And who do we have here?"

"Don't even think about it, Constantine, they're all too young,' Shayera shouted. "Cheers!"

"Here's looking up your old address," Wally offered.

"Les Paul,' Zee shouted and then they all did another shot. Shayera just finished swallowing when she noticed Kara, Courtney and Mary were staring at her. She looked at her shot glass and then at the three.

"Okay, what the hell, have fun," she said. "But no drinking!"

She turned and joined Zee, Wally and Constantine, who were already dancing.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark and Diana walked back into the house and sat down on the couch. He didn't even mention that she was sitting too close. Diana had changed back into the outfit she wore to the show and was fiddling with her necklace.

"You said earlier, you wanted to talk,' Clark offered.

"I still don't agree with you on Lashina,' Diana replied.

"I didn't mean about her, before that."

"Oh."

"You were pretty angry at me,' he said.

"Yes."

"You hit me."

"Yes."

"You also kissed me."

Diana didn't answer this time.

"It was a really good kiss,' Clark told her.

"Thank you,' Diana replied, just a little smile coming to her lips.

"So what's going on, Diana?"

"I don't know."

"Were you mad because we didn't go together or how I acted at the theater?'

"Both, I guess."

"You said you understood."

"I did, but it still bothered me,' she admitted. "You seem to go out of your way with the whole stumbling act."

"Okay, I might have laid it on a little thick," he said. "I'm sorry, I guess I wanted you to see it and understand."

"Is that why you flirted with Shayera, Dinah and Zatanna,' she asked.

"I wasn't really flirting with them."

She just gave him a look.

"Okay, maybe a little flirting, but it was harmless."

"I didn't like it."

"It sounds like you're a little jealous,' he asked.

She didn't answer right away.

"Maybe a little bit,' she finally said.

"So is that the only reason you were so mad at me,' he said.

"No, I don't know,' she replied. He could see there was something on her mind.

"What's going on, Diana? Something's the matter, isn't it,' he gently asked.

"Yes, but the problem is, I don't know,' she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Everything feels out of control,' she softly said. "I've never felt like this before. I've never felt angry and jealous. I find myself flying off the handle at the slightest thing. It's all so confusing. One minute I want to hit you and the next…"

Diana trailed off and just sat there.

"And the next,' he asked.

"I want to kiss you."


	33. Chapter 33

Interrupted

Gotham Heights

"Aren't you going to say anything, Kal?"

Nervousness and maybe a little fear, two more emotions she wasn't used to.

"I'd prefer you kiss me to hitting me, Diana."

"Don't be funny."

For the second time since they'd been living together he acted without over-thinking things. He leaned in and kissed her. It was meant as just a small, reassuring kiss to let her know everything was okay. His eyes gazed over her face taking in just how extraordinarily beautiful she was. The second kiss had a different meaning and received a suitable response. He started to pull back, but she wasn't finished. The third and fourth kiss she initiated, but he didn't resist.

"For someone new at this, you're very good."

"Shut up and kiss me, Kal."

He obliged. She shifted position and now was straddling his lap. His hands skimmed down her back, holding her close. His senses, both super and otherwise, were on overload. She was feeling a need unlike anything she'd felt before. His arousal was apparent even through the layers of clothing. She grounded herself down on it, wanting to get closer. Their lips devoured each other.

His shirt and tie were in the way. Yanking the tie, there was a moment where she almost strangling him before it gave and snapped. Taking the two sides of his shirt in her fingers, she ripped it open.

'Hey, that was a new shirt."

"I'll buy you another one."

The shoulder straps of her dress slipped down, giving him a tantalizing hint of her upper body. Her excitement or more accurately, her twin points of excitement, were the only things stopping it from slipping to her waist.

"I want…"

The doorbell rang and cut her off. They broke their embrace for a moment.

"I should answer that."

"Maybe they'll go away if you don't, Kal."

"It might be important."

"It might not be."

"Diana."

"Kal."

He tried to shift her off his lap. She was reluctant to move and he had to lift her up and set her down next to him. Her expression made it clear she was not happy about this development. He looked at her for just a moment, trying to control the desire threatening to overwhelm him. It took a long moment. With a sigh, he stood up and adjusted his clothes. He stood there for a moment, bent over trying to catch his breath. He looked at her again. She shifted forward, her dress slipping down just a bit more. She stared at him, a wanton smile on her lips.

"Don't look at me like that, please."

"Don't you like it?'

Her voice was playful, teasing and sexy.

"You are so going to get me in trouble."

"I won't tell, if you don't."

"I'm going to answer the door now."

She gave a displeased huff and sat back, crossing her arms in front of her. Shaking his head, he slowly walked to the front door. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get himself under control before opening the door.

"Hi Clark!"

LuAnn, Dottie and Jenny were standing there smiling at him.

"Um, ah, hi."

The three immediately noticed his ripped shirt.

"Did we interrupt something,' LuAnn asked.

"Do you have any brownies,' Jenny added.

"Ah, no and sorry, no brownies,' he replied, pulling the sides of his jacket closed.

"Cookie dough, anything,' Jenny asked.

"I don't so,' he answered.

"We just wanted to stop over to let you know that someone thought they saw an intruder go into your house while you were gone,' LuAnn said with a big smile.

"Our house?"

"Yes, a woman,' Dottie said.

"A giant woman,' Jenny added. "All in black and metal."

"A giant woman in black and metal,' he repeated.

"Yes, ten, seven, um, six and a half feet tall,' Jenny explained.

"There's no one here like that now,' he replied. It wasn't really a lie; she was up on the station.

"So since you're up, can we come in for awhile,' LuAnn asked. She stepped closer, expecting him to move. He didn't.

"It's really getting late and we were just about to turn in,' he offered. "I appreciate the heads up on the giant woman, though."

They could see he wasn't going to let them in, so they reluctantly took a step back.

"Well, if you're turning in, I guess we can stop another time,' LuAnn said.

"Sure."

"Well, good night, Clark."

"Good night, LuAnn, Dottie, Jenny."

"Do you have any cookies? Fudge? Something,' Jenny asked.

"No, sorry."

"Come on, honey, I've got some cake over at my house,' Dottie offered. The three women waved at Clark as they walked down the sidewalk. He closed the front door and leaned his head against it. Taking a deep breath he turned and walked back into the living room. She was standing waiting for him. She was also smiling.

"I'm glad you got rid of them."

"I think we should talk, Diana."

"I was hoping we would,' she said, moving towards him. He stopped her, gently but firmly. He moved the fallen dress strap back up onto her shoulder.

"Talk, Diana, actually talk."

She nodded.

"I guess we could do that too."

They moved back into the living room and she sat on the couch. He started to, but the memory of only a few moments ago came rushing back. He moved over and sat on one of the chairs.

"You're not going to sit with me on the couch?"

"No."

"Well that seems more cramped, but I'll give it a try."

She started to get up, but he raised his hand to stop her.

"No, no, you stay there, please. Four feet, we are going back to that, okay? I want to talk, Diana, just talk this time."

"You didn't seem to mind just a minute ago."

"I know, but we didn't do a lot of talking, either."

She smiled.

"Yes, I liked that. You seemed like you liked it too."

He nodded.

"Yeah, I did. You definitely have a major effect on me.'

Her smile got bigger.

"I know, I could feel it against me."

"I didn't mean that,' he quickly replied. "Look, I think we need to talk about this."

"All right, but do we have to sit so far apart, Kal?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Cause if we sit any closer, I'm not sure how much talking we'd do, Diana."

She moved a little closer.

"It was talking in a different way, Kal, like sign language, or body language."

He shifted back in his chair away from her.

"Any more of that kind of talking and there would have been an exclamation point."

She moved a little closer and smiled.

"I think I'd like to see that."

"Not tonight and move back over to the middle, please."

Her smile slipped a little bit.

"It's my couch, I can sit anywhere I want."

He sighed and then moved to another chair, putting the coffee table in between them. She didn't like this move at all.

'You act like I'm contagious, Kal or you're afraid of me."

"In a way I am, Diana."

"You weren't a moment ago."

"Things got, um, out of hand a moment ago,' he offered.

"Out of hand? So are you saying you don't want to make love with me, Kal?"

He actually winced at this.

"I know you like being direct, but there's a line, Diana."

She continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yes or no, Kal?"

"It's complicated, Diana, you know that."

"Would it help if I said I want to with you?"

"Not really."

Now she was confused. Was he saying he didn't have those feelings for her? He could see this and didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"Diana, the easy answer is yes, I want to very much.'

She smiled and started to stand up. He held up his hand and continued.

"But-But and there's a big one coming, I can't. Well, can't isn't the right word, of course I can, I'm a guy. What I mean is I don't think we should."

She was confused again.

"Why?"

"Could you sit down again, please? You make me nervous standing like that."

She didn't want to, but reluctantly sat back down. She did lean forward, cutting into his four feet.

"Why shouldn't we, Kal?"

There was a war going on inside of him. Every time he looked at her, a primitive part of him was practically shouted, 'Take Her, You Fool, Take Her! She Wants You Too!' His higher brain functions were struggling with it too, but kept reminding him of the real situation. He ran his hand through his hair and then haphazardly gestured around them.

"Cause of all this.'

She looked around them and only saw the living room.

"You don't like the house? I guess we could go outside."

She started to get up again, but he waved for her to sit down.

"No, no, that's not what I mean, Diana."

"Than what, Kal?"

"This, this is all an illusion, Diana, the house, the marriage, everything. It's not real."

"I've told you before, Kal, we are married and it's real. I don't know why you are having such a hard time with that."

He looked at her and there was sadness around his eyes.

"We'll put that to the side for a moment. Just answer me this, Diana, is all this over in two weeks?"

That was the part she didn't like to think about. The smile left her face and he felt even worse for being the cause of it. She moved back just a little, as she whispered her reply.

"Yes it is."

"Than it's not real, Diana."

She looked at him, not wanting to accept this.

"Are you saying our feelings aren't real too, Kal?"

"No."

"Than what?"

"This situation, us living together, pretending to be husband and wife has affected both of us, Diana. I think we're both guilty of forgetting that it's because of a bet this situation occurred. I have found myself thinking of you as my wife and maybe even getting a little jealous when I see you talking to other men."

A small smile came back to her lips.

"You have?"

"A little and I think we both can agree you've been a little jealous of me talking to other women."

"Not talking, flirting, Kal."

Not wanting to get her angry again, he quickly agreed.

"Okay, flirting, but what I'm saying is I think this situation of us living together is the cause of that. Think about it, Diana, before we moved in, we'd never even been on a date. It feels like we've skipped over some rather important steps. We went right to being married and started acting like it. We're both guilty of forgetting this isn't real."

What he was saying did have a ring of truth to her, but she didn't like it. The feelings she was experiencing didn't feel fake.

"Is it all fake for you, Kal?"

"No, but the parts that are, are the reason we can't."

"So you are more than attracted to me?"

The words 'in love with me' were right on the tip of her tongue, but she was too afraid of him saying 'no' to say them out loud.

"Yes, Diana, I am, but there's also other issues that we have to consider."

His admission sent a thrill through her. She didn't care what other issues he brought up, she now knew the attraction was mutual.

"What issues, Kal?"

"Bruce."

"What-What about him?"

"This started because you were interested in him, Diana. Have your feelings changed so much in two weeks?"

So that was it, she thought. He felt honor bond by his friendship with Bruce. She should have realized it right away. She was just about to answer, when she stopped and really thought about his question. What about Bruce?

"Diana?"

"If you're asking do I still find him attractive, then yes, Kal, I do. My feelings have changed though. You talk about this being the illusion, but I'm starting to realize perhaps what I was imagining with Bruce is the real illusion."

This surprised him.

"How so?"

"He seems interested, but every time I've tried to get closer he pushes me away. I didn't want to believe him, but his actions keep telling me the same thing. I know he has issues with intimacy, not just with me but everyone. I've been realizing that I have issues too. This was all new to me when I came to the Man's World, so I had no experience with any of it. I guess the romantic side of me wanted to believe I was just like any other woman, but I'm not, Kal."

"Meaning?"

"I'm almost as strong as you are, so I have to face that I'm going to have the same issues you do with a normal person. The way I pulled your tie off earlier might have strangled a normal man."

"It was a little unpleasant for me too."

"Shut up, Kal and stop trying to be funny. What I'm trying to say is that I face the same issues you do. I'm not going to age, while a normal man would. There's also the fact that one slip and I could crush him by accident."

Clark winced and closed his legs. Diana smiled at this.

"Yes, crush that, Kal."

A shudder went through him at the very thought.

"I got it."

Diana gave a little laugh at this.

"Why do all men make that face at even the mention of crushing that?"

"It's kind of an important part for us, Diana, really important."

"If you say so."

"Could we not talk about crushing it, please?"

Diana rolled her eyes as his reaction.

"I was just making a point, Kal. I could just as easily crush a normal man's hand if I gave it a squeeze and didn't think about how much strength I was using. The point is I always have to be in control with just about everyone, except you, Kal."

He dipped his head, as he thought he understood what she was saying.

"So you're just attracted to me because I'm the only one around that you don't have to worry about physically hurting, is that it?"

She shook her head, realizing he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"No, Kal, that's not why I'm attracted to you at all. Though it does seem like a nice added bonus!'

She started to stand up, smiling lustfully at him. Again he raised his hand to stop her.

"Four feet, Diana, we're not done talking just yet."

She grumbled, but sat back down.

"Now you're going to push me away? Am I so hideous that men want nothing to do with me?"

He had to smile at this.

"Far from it, Princess. I told you at the theater you were the most beautiful woman there and I meant it."

"I'm going to let the Princess comment go this time. But you still insist on me being four feet away from you."

He gave her a bigger smile now.

"Any closer and I have trouble thinking, Diana. You don't realize the effect you have on me."

She gave him a look and sat back with her arms crossed.

"I thought I did earlier, but it seems to have disappeared.'

He laughed out loud now.

"I'd have to see a doctor if it didn't."

She gave him a snide look.

"Oh, you're very funny."

He continued to smile at her, thinking she looked even more beautiful when she was pouting. He knew her well enough now, not to mention she was or he'd get hit. Knowing she was attracted to him, more than attracted to him sent a bolt of joy throughout his body. He wanted to fling the coffee table out of the way and take her right then, but there was still reality to deal with. He kept reminding himself this was all make believe and that it wasn't real. Feelings and emotions were intensified by the situations

The truth was he was still a little afraid. If you've had your heart broken, it never fully leaves you. As much as you want to rush in, your feet hesitate for a moment. It doesn't mean you're any less in love now, but it makes you a little more cautious. For a person experiencing it for the first time, it seems like the moment will never end. For someone that's had his or her heart broken, there is always the memory that it might.

It's like an office romance. The two of you are thrown together for hours everyday. You share the office politics and gossip. It seems you both have the same interests and you grow closer. Then one of you gets another job. You don't see each other everyday. You find yourself not as interested in the gossip from the old job. The people you talk about at your new job, they don't know and aren't really that interested in. Suddenly you don't seem to have as much in common as you both thought. You see even less of each other. Someone at your new job catches your interested. The same thing happens at your old job to them.

Both of you wonder was it just the situation that brought you together?

Clark also remembered he'd given a promise.

"Diana?'

She didn't reply.

"Diana?"

"What?"

"We both seem to be forgetting I gave a promise to your mother."

She uncrossed her arms and looked at him.

"Meaning?"

"She trusted me to keep my word. I want, no, that's not right, I'm going to make sure I keep it."

She slowly nodded. That he kept his word was always one of the things she liked about him, but in this case, though, not so much.

"I understand, but can I ask a question, Kal?"

"I guess."

"What if you hadn't given your word?"

It was his turn to groan. He dropped his head into his hand and rubbed just about his eyebrows.

"I don't think it would do either of us any good to think about that."

Now she was very interested.

"Why?"

"Diana, come on, don't torture me like this."

She flashed him a dazzling smile.

"Does it mean your four feet rule wouldn't apply anymore?'

He shook his head and stood up.

"I'm not talking about this. It's been a long night and I've still got to deal with Lashina tomorrow. I'm going to bed."

Her smiled slipped a little at the mention of Lashina.

"I don't want to talk about her right now, Kal.'

"I know what you want to talk about and I'm not having that conversation with you, Diana. Good night."

He started for the stairs and she was right behind him. He stopped and she bumped into him.

"Where are you going?"

She gave him a teasingly smile this time.

"I thought I'd turn in too, Kal."

"Diana, I'm keeping my promise. Please, don't make this difficult for me."

She gave him her most innocent expression.

"Of course not, Kal."

He was a little dubious, but decided to let it go.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome."

He shook his head and started up the stairs again. She was right in step with him.

"So you were jealous of me talking to other men, Kal? Who?'

'I'm not talking about any of that with you, Diana."

"Was it Bruce? It had to be, didn't it?"

He stopped halfway up the steps and turned to her. She was standing on the same step, very close to him. He glanced down at her feet and then up at her eyes. He gave her a look as if to say, too close, please. She stepped a little bit away.

"So?'

"All right, yes it was Bruce, but others too, okay?"

"What others?"

"Where do I start? The guys constantly hitting on you at the bar or the market or the neighbors or just about every guy that sees you."

She had a big smile on her face at this. He gave her a little, so he had to take some of it back. He started up the stairs, but continued talking.

"Of course, I'm not nearly as bad as you are. I mean the way you acted about me harmlessly flirting with Shayera, Dinah and Zatanna, was a little frightening."

"I was only a little jealous, Kal!"

He didn't turn, but chuckled a little.

"Uh-huh."

She protested, not wanting to admit just how jealous she was.

"I wasn't! If you hadn't been shamelessly flirting with them, I wouldn't have reacted like that!"

"Uh-huh, good night, Diana."

As they entered their bedroom, she realized he'd sidetracked the conversation. He took his pajamas and quickly left the room. She wanted to go after him, but decided to wait. A quick change into her nightgown she was sitting on top of the bed when he walked back in. He groaned at the sight of her and she liked this reaction. He saw the smile on her face and was a little uneasy of what it might mean.

She waited patiently until he was in bed and under the covers. He just closed his eyes when she spoke.

"Kal?"

"Yeah?"

"I wouldn't want you to break your promise, I hope you know that."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, Diana."

He gave her a smile and she returned it.

"I know it means we can't, well, you know, but does it mean we can't do anything?"

She had his full attention now and he moved up in the bed and rested his back against the headboard. Almost instinctively he pulled the covers up to his chin.

"What-What do you mean?"

She moved closer.

"Can we kiss?"

"Just kiss?"

She nodded and then explained.

"Earlier you said we hadn't even been on a date, Kal. I was thinking that isn't this, us living together sort of like a first date? Don't people on dates kiss?"

He was very uneasy about where this was going.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So could we kiss without breaking your promise?"

"Just kiss?"

"Yes."

"What would your mother think about that, Diana?"

"I'm positive that wasn't what she was worried about, Kal."

She knew her mother better than he did, he had to admit.

"I guess if you think she wouldn't consider that breaking my promise, it would be all right."

"Good."

She leaned in and gave him a smoldering, passionate kiss that took his breath away. She held his gaze when it ended for a extra moment and then glanced down and smiled.

"It disappears and now it reappears. Good night, Kal."

She smiled happily as she climbed under the covers and turned off the light. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long while before he could even think of getting any sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

Guests

"Tact is the art of making guests feel at home,

when that's really where you wish they were."

Gotham Heights

It seemed to take forever for Clark to fall asleep. It felt as if he'd just closed his eyes when his cell phone rang. It was early, very early. Getting up and sitting on the side of the bed, he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Clark."

There was no question whose voice was on the other end.

"Yeah, Jonn, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry to wake you, but it's technically morning,' Jonn said. "She wants to leave."

Rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes, Clark sighed. There was no need to say who 'she' was.

"Okay, tell her I'll be up in a little while."

"Thank you. I used your cell phone in deference to your bet. I hope that is all right?"

"Not a problem, Jonn, see you in a bit."

Clark hung up the phone and leaned forward. He held his head in his hands and yawned. He had a feeling it was going to be a long, long day. I'm really a rather calm, quiet sort of fellow, Clark thought, yet somehow I always seemed to get involved with fiery, headstrong women. I'm either doing something very wrong or very right, I just can't figure out which at the moment. As he sat there, pondering his day ahead, he didn't see that the other occupant of the bed was awake.

Smooth fingers slipped under his pajama top from behind and caressed their way up his spine. He jumped a little and heard her laugh.

"Good morning."

He turned and looked at her. The covers were down around her waist, exposing the top half of her body in her sheer nightgown. Diana had a big smile on her face.

"Good morning,' he replied. He shifted down the bed slightly to put a little more distance between them.

"Sleep well,' she asked.

"No."

"I slept wonderfully."

Diana stretched her arms over her head. He wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but she was certainly giving him an up close and personal look at just how well built she was from the waist up. He glanced up at the ceiling, as if to say a silent prayer to give him strength.

"Slept well, huh, imagine that," he finally said

Diana shifted on the bed, moving closer to him.

"Was that Jonn that called,' Diana asked.

"Yes."

"It's about her, isn't it?'

"Yeah,' he replied. The smile disappeared from Diana's lips. "Look, I know you don't like her."

'That's putting it mildly, Kal."

"And you hide it so well,' he teased. She gave him a small slap on the arm. Add women that like to hit to fiery and head strong. "Look, Diana, I know you don't want her here, but I don't know what else to do. Do you want to call off this bet?"

Ending this, them living together was the last thing Diana wanted. She felt like they'd made a break through, or at least she had last night. She wanted those two weeks to see where this would go.

"No."

She looked down at the bed covers, idly running her fingers over the fabric. He felt the need to explain why he was doing this.

"Whether it's true or not, I have to give her a second chance,' Diana,' he explained. "I'm really not that naïve, but I just can't turn my back on her if there is even the slightest chance she's telling the truth."

"Why can't she just stay on the station,' Diana unhappily asked. "Or prison?"

"Yeah, I don't see either of those working anytime soon. I think it's because Lashina knows me. I guess she feels safer around me,' he offered. "I need to know you're okay with this. Are you?'"

"No, but I don't see an alternative."

"I could move to the station for awhile, if you think that would help."

Diana didn't like that idea at all.

"No. If she has to be here, I guess I can put up with her for a short while."

"Thank you." He gave her a smile and started to get up.

"Kal?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't I get a good morning kiss,' Diana said sweetly. He eyed her for a moment and then quickly leaned down and gave her a small peck on the lips.

"Good morning."

She looked at him. Her expression clearly said she wasn't satisfied with the kiss.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"I'm letting you bring another woman into our house. A woman I despise and that's the best kiss you can give me, Kal,' Diana asked. "I think I deserve better than that. I doubt most wives would be so generous."

He looked at her and could see she was trying not to smile. She gave him that wide-eyed innocent look and he gave in. He leaned down to kiss her again, but this time she was ready. Diana caught hold of his pajama top and pulled him towards her. As their lips met, her arm slipped quickly around his shoulders and pulled him in tight. The kiss took his breath away. When it finally ended, he felt wide-awake. He was going to need a very long, cold shower, but he was awake.

"That's a good morning kiss, Kal,' she said with a big smile. He started to say something, but then just shook his head and started out the door. Diana lay back, smiling and pulled the covers back up.

* * *

The Watchtower

Lashina stood in the transporter room waiting. Jonn, Dinah and Plastic Man were there too. She was tired of being here among these people and wanted Kal-El to arrive so they could leave. Plastic Man had taken it on himself to entertain her. She was not amused.

"Must I put up with your pet,' she scowled. "Can't you chain him up somewhere? Outside preferably."

Dinah sighed and looked up from her console.

"I know I'm going to regret this,' she muttered and then addressed Lashina. "He's not a pet, Lashina; he's a valuable member of the Justice League. His name is Plastic Man and we would ask you to use it."

"Must he be so annoying?"

"That's kind of his thing,' Dinah offered, shrugging her shoulders. Plastic Man had turned himself into a bunch of balloons and floated up in front of Lashina.

"I told everyone Black Canary was coming around! I knew she liked me,' he shouted.

"I knew I'd regret it, I just knew it, I knew it,' Dinah grumbled.

"A Ring-a-ding-ding-ding, this is a banner day for yours truly!"

He floated a little too close to Lashina and she used one of her sharp fingernails to pop his balloons.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE," he whined, as he drifted down to the floor and then transformed into a tricycle and started pedaling in circles. Lashina watched him and then looked at Dinah.

"He's a valuable member of the Justice League?"

"I know,' Diana nodded and shrugged her shoulders again. "But it's really kind of a voluntary organization. He won't leave."

"When is Kal-El getting here,' Lashina asked, turning her attention to Jonn.

"Any moment now."

Lashina gave a sigh of relief and turned to watch the transporters. Plastic Man transformed again and came up to her.

"Hey, Lashy, have you heard the _one about __the guy who was struggling to decide what to wear to go to a fancy costume party... Then he had a bright idea. When the host answered the door, he found the guy standing there with no shirt and no socks on. "What the hell are you supposed to be?" asked the host. "A premature ejaculation," said the man. "I just came in my pants!_ Get it? Hi-Ho! A-ring-a-ding-Ding!"

Lashina didn't even crack a smile.

"Go away."

"EEE-AAAWWW! Ring-a-ding-ding-Ding! Oh, that just slays me, it really does! Ho-Ho!"

A light on the transporter panel lit up and Jonn turned towards Lashina.

"Um, Lashina, I believe,' Jonn stared and then began to chuckle. "His pants. Ah-hmm. Excuse me, I just got that, ah-ha-ha-ha!"

Dinah looked over at Jonn, but he was still laughing. She rolled her eyes and turned to Lashina.

"It's Superman, he's transporting in,' she said.

"Finally,' Lashina grumbled.

"At least you get to leave," Dinah replied. "I have to stay here with these two."

* * *

The Watchtower – Cafeteria

A rather hung over Wally was sitting at a back table with Shayera and Mari. Shayera was in a little better shape then he was. Mari was very interested in their night.

"Remind me to never, ever go out with Constantine again,' Wally moaned.

"Oh come on, I thought last night was really fun,' Shayera replied. "If there had been a fight it would have been perfect!"

"Could you please, not talk so loud?"

Captain Atom came walking over to their table. He seemed nervous and was looking all around.

"Um, excuse me, ah, Wally, are you still taking bets on Batman and Wonder Woman?"

"Yeah,' Wally replied.

Captain Atom looked around again and then leaned in close to Wally.

"Twenty on Batman,' he whispered.

"Twenty it is."

Captain Atom stood back up and then quickly left the room. They watched him go.

"Traitor,' Wally grumbled. "He's a Meta, how can he bet against his own like that?"

"How is the betting going,' Mari asked.

'It's still running in Batman's favor, but the odds are shifting towards Wonder Woman. Half way through and it's about sixty/forty. If her and Clark make it to the end of the third week, I say it's even money,' Wally replied.

"Damn, I wanted to make another bet, but I spent all my money last night,' Shayera groaned.

"What exactly did you all do,' Mari asked.

"Shots,' Wally groaned.

"We saw Zee's show and then went out on the town,' Shayera offered. "It was a great night. A little hazy in parts, but all in all a great night."

"Yeah, it was, what I remember of it, but the morning came too soon,' Wally added.

"How are Zatanna and Constantine,' Mari asked. "Like you Shayera, or like him?"

"Constantine seemed fine."

"The guy must have a hollow leg,' Wally said.

"Zee, she got a little wild,' Shayera continued. "Frankly, I didn't even see her leave."

"She didn't leave with Constantine, did she,' Mari asked. "They have a history, you know."

"Of alcoholism,' Wally asked.

"No, they dated, you idiot,' Shayera snapped. She was going to hit him, but he looked so pathetic she let it go.

"So did they,' Mari repeated.

"I don't think so,' Shayera said. "I sort of remember seeing Constantine at the end of the night, I think."

"We didn't lose her, did we,' Wally asked. Shayera started to answer, but then stopped.

"I don't remember, but I'm sure she's fine,' Shayera offered. She tried to rack her brain to remember, but it was a bit hazy. "I hope."

"Wally, put another hundred on Diana for me, will you,' Mari asked.

* * *

Gotham

The smell of fresh coffee seemed to tease at the edges of Zatanna's consciousness. She wanted to sleep, but the enticing smell kept wafting around her. She groaned, her head pounding and finally opened one eye. A cup of steaming coffee sat on the night table next to her. The only problem was it wasn't the night table from her hotel room. I don't remember picking up anybody, her hazy mind thought. I remember being out with Shayera, Wally and … oh, God, no, please, don't tell me. She closed her eye and pressed her face back into the pillow, hoping what she was thinking hadn't happened.

She didn't want to look. If she's slept with Constantine she was going to kill herself. It was all his fault anyway, him and those shots, she thought. Reluctantly, unable to put it off any longer, she turned her head and looked at the other side of the bed.

Empty.

That's a good sign, she thought with relief. There was always the possibility that he could have gotten up though and went for coffee. Please don't let me have slept with Constantine, she pleaded silently. No, wait; this is much too nice a place for Constantine, she mused. It looks familiar, almost like…

"So are you going to sleep all day or finally get up?"

Zatanna rolled over and saw Bruce Wayne sitting next to the bed in the shadows. Her eyes didn't seem to want to work properly and it took a little squinting to really make him out.

"Bruce?"

"Who were you expecting,' he asked. "Not Constantine, please tell me you weren't thinking of sleeping with him."

"What the hell, Bruce? Where am I?"

"You're at the mansion,' he replied.

"Your mansion?"

"No, the Playboy mansion, of course my mansion,' he said.

"You don't have to be snotty about it,' she grumbled. She rolled over and the pain seemed to shift inside her head. Her hand came up to rub her temple, as she looked at him through half closed eyes.

"How'd I get here?"

"I brought you."

"You did? Why? Wait, I don't remember seeing you last night,' she said. "When did you show up?"

"Just in the nick of time,' he said. "You were your usual flirty self. You had several men, including Constantine trying to escort you back to your hotel room. I brought you here instead."

"Oh, wow, I didn't do anything really embarrassing, did I,' she asked.

"You mean besides tell everyone you loved me?"

"Wh-Wh-What,' she gasped. She squinted and now saw he was smiling. "Oh, ha-ha, very funny.'

"You did kiss me,' he offered. He took a sip of his own coffee and just watching her.

"I did?"

"Yes, you're a very affection drunk, Zee,' Bruce said with a laugh.

"I'm just friendly,' she protested. Suddenly another thought came to her mind and she shuddered a little. " We, um, we didn't, you know, last night, did we?"

"Sleep together?"

She cringed a little more, hearing the words out loud.

"We didn't, you and I, we didn't, right?"

"You know a gentleman never discusses such things,' Bruce offered. "See? I did learn something from Alfred growing up."

"Yes or no, Bruce,' she groaned.

"No."

"Thank God!"

She gasped in relief and fell back against the pillows.

"You didn't have to say it like that,' he grumbled. "It's not that terrible a thought, is it?"

She lifted her head up off the pillow and looked at him with a smile.

"Did I hurt your feelings,' she teased.

"You could have at least thanked me,' he replied. He sat back, crossing his legs. "Here I go out of my way to make sure you don't do something stupid and this is the thanks I get."

"Thank you, Bruce,' she said in her sweetest voice. "Now could you go away? My head it killing me and sleep is the only thing that's going to help."

"This is my house, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, go away, please,' she said. "I'll be sure to thank you properly later. Okay?"

"What exactly does that mean,' he said with a smile.

"Don't get all pervy, I just meant I'll buy you dinner or something,' she replied. "Jeez, that dress Dinah had on must have really got you revved up, didn't it?"

"Don't be ridiculous,' he quickly replied. He seemed to think about it for a moment. "It was an amazing dress, I have to admit."

"Jeez, you'd think you guys never saw a pair of legs before,' Zee grumbled as she lay back down and pulled the covers up.

"There was a lot of leg to see,' he mused.

"Oh, just go away.'

He looked at her with a smile and then started chuckling as he stood and walked towards the door.

"I'm glad Clark sat on you,' she groused, but he just continued to chuckle.

* * *

The Watchtower

Lashina had a big smile on her face when she saw Clark appear. She immediately went over to him and kissed him. She put everything into it and for a moment it took Clark's breath away. Always was a good kisser, got to give her that, he thought.

"Are we leaving finally,' she asked.

"In a minute, we need to discuss some things first."

"I don't like it here."

"We have to go over the ground rules, Lashina,' he said.

"I don't like rules, Kal-El, you know that."

"That's why we have to go over them,' he replied. "Come on, this will only take a moment."

Clark led her out of the transporter room and a short way down the hall to an empty conference room. As soon as the door closed, she stepped very close to him. Add close talkers to the list of fiery, headstrong and like to hit, he thought. Moving strategically away from her, putting the table between them, he started.

"Lashina, since you've already been to the house, you must realize Diana and I are living together,' he began.

"Why?"

"It's a long story, but it's part of a bet,' he said. 'Part of the bet is we have to be undercover in the suburbs and not use our powers."

"And why?"

"To prove we can."

"That seems kind of stupid," she offered. "If you have powers, why wouldn't you use them?"

"I didn't make the bet, but I'm going along with it,' he replied. "If you're going to be staying with us, you have to go along with it too."

"What do you mean,' she asked, moving slowly around the room towards him. For such a tall woman, she had a sensual grace about the way she moved. In a way she reminded him of Diana, but he knew not to suggest that to either of them.

"I mean you can't use your powers, Lashina."

"That's just stupid."

"Be that as it may, that's the rule. We'll have to come up with some cover for you too,' he suggested. "We could say you're my sister or something."

"I don't want to be your sister, Kal-El,' she replied, moving even closer. "I doubt any one would believe I'm your sister."

The wicked smile on her face as she looked at him seemed to back this up.

"Yeah, probably not, but everyone in the neighborhood thinks Diana and I are married and you can't ruin that. Is that clear,' he asked.

"Do I have to like it,' she asked.

"No, just agree to it."

"If I agree to your rules, can we leave?"

"Yes. Oh and you'll have to dress differently,' he said. "Um, that black outfit and whips don't really blend in, if you know what I mean."

"You always liked this outfit before,' she said with a smile.

"It is a very striking outfit, 'he had to admit. "You have to blend in, Lashina, or try to at least."

"All right, I'll wear something else. What would you like me to wear, Kal-El?"

There was a teasing note in her voice, as she moved closer, now within his four feet perimeter.

"Um, ah, we'll figure something out,' he finally said. "Oh, and while we're there it's Clark, okay?"

"Any more rules, Clark?"

"Don't fight with Diana."

"That's going to be hard,' Lashina replied. "I don't like her."

"I gathered that,' he said. "But that's the rule, Lashina, take it or leave it."

"Fine, can we go now?"

* * *

The Watchtower

Mari had left and Wally and Shayera were still sitting together. He'd taken several more bets, as the action seemed to be really heating up. Shayera had been watching him for some time, as he counted the money.

"Wally?"

"Yeah,' he replied, still counting.

"Did you really have a good time last night?"

"Sure."

"So you enjoyed our date?'

He stopped counting and looked at her for the first time.

"Our date?"

"Well, that's what it was, wasn't it,' she asked.

"I suppose."

"So did you,' she asked again.

"Yeah, sure, Shayera, and thanks again for going with me,' he said with a smile.

"Your welcome. So we agree that it was a date, right?"

"Yeah, a good one," he said, returning to counting the money.

"So why do I seem to remember you hitting on other women,' she asked. Wally stopped counting the money again.

"Hmm? How's that?"

"At the clubs after the show, I seem to remember you hitting on other women,' Shayera said. "You even got someone's number, did you?"

"Ah, yeah, I think so."

"I thought so,' she said. Wally noticed she seemed to be getting angry, but didn't have a clue why. "So you ask me out and then hit on other women in front of me? You bastard!"

Shayera suddenly hit him and stood up. She gave him a glare and then stormed across the cafeteria. A rather stunned Wally sat there, not sure what had just happened. Plastic Man suddenly appeared next to him as a potted plant. They watched Shayera storm out of the room.

"Women, huh,' Plastic Man offered.

"I think I missed something in that conversation,' Wally admitted.

"What are you going to do,' Plastic Man replied. "Hey, did you hear the good news? Dinah likes me, she really likes me!"

Wally turned and looked at him but didn't say a word.

* * *

Mount Olympus

Usually what happens in a small, quiet suburb doesn't catch the notice of the Greek Gods. They had much large things to worry about, but sometimes they do take notice of special events. Superman and Wonder Woman living together would be such an event. When Dionysus had first mentioned the bet, it had sparked interested. The Gods aren't really that different than most people and like a nice wager now and then.

A side bet on the bet was offered and accepted, then another and another. The one rule the Gods made was none of them could interfere; they would all just be spectators. Everyone agreed to this and the betting continued. Soon all the Gods were rooting for one side or that other. Yes, Diana was their champion, but that never stopped anyone from betting against the home team when a wager and winning were involved.

"They are at the halfway point,' Zeus observed. "I think bringing this New God, Lashina into the mix certainly doesn't bode well for them."

"Would you care to increase your wager,' Hera asked.

"Feeling protective of her, are you,' Zeus said with a smile.

"She has the wisdom of Athena, remember," Hera replied. "I hope that will guide her in this."

"That wisdom doesn't always work when love is involved, my dear. Isn't that right, Aphrodite?"

The Goddess of Love had been silent up to now, not taking part in the betting. She turned now and looked at the other Gods with a smile. Even here among the Gods she stood out. She was a thousand watt bulb in a room full of hundred watt bulbs. She looked over the Gods one by one.

"I would bet on Diana,' she said simply. "She has Superman with her, remember?"

"You have always had a weak spot for the Kryptonian, "Ares grumbled.

"Perhaps, in another life, who knows," Aphrodite mused with a faraway smile. "That is beside the point, I would still wager on Diana."

She had all their attention now. Even Diana's patrons were a little skeptical of whether she could make it the whole month. They wanted to believe, but things seemed to be moving in the other direction. Lashina's arrival didn't boost their confidence, either.

"You know, this mortal, Batman is very clever,' Dionysus offered. "They say he is always five steps ahead of his opponent."

"He's still a mortal,' Ares said dismissively. "This New God, Lashina is the one to watch. I know conflict and that one will be Diana's downfall."

"Her presence is troubling," Hera had to admit.

"I still say, Diana will win," Aphrodite repeated.

"How can you be so sure,' Zeus asked.

"It's all a matter of perspective," Aphrodite offered. "She seeks to find answers with this bet. I believe she will."

Aphrodite smiled and then stood and moved off. She almost glided and even the Gods paused to watch her.

"Bah, she never did understand conflict,' Ares said. "I will double my wagers against the Princess."

"Taken,' Dionysus replied.

* * *

Gotham

Zatanna came down the stairs, freshly showered and dressed. She knew her way around the mansion probably as well as anyone that hadn't lived there. She headed straight for the kitchen and found Alfred making breakfast.

"Good morning, am I in time for breakfast,' she asked with a smile.

"Yes, Miss Zatanna, I was just finishing it for you."

"Me?"

"Master Bruce said you would be down soon."

'Where is he?"

"He was called away."

Zatanna sat at the counter and watched as Alfred plated the food and set in down in front of her. She smiled at it and then looked at him.

"You're not having any? You're not going to make me eat alone, are you Alfred?"

The older man smiled at her.

"No, of course not."

He fixed a quick, small plate from himself and sat down across from her. She smiled happily at this. Zee dug in to the food with gusto.

"Delicious, as always,' she offered between mouthfuls.

"Thank you,' Alfred replied. He took a sip of his coffee and watched her for a moment.

"I understand opening night was a smashing success,' he said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you. I wouldn't tell anyone else, but I'm always a bit nervous on opening night,' she admitted.

"Well, the reviews were all glowing," Alfred said. He reached over and picked up the morning papers. "You always made the society page. It seems you had quite the night on the town."

Zatanna looked at the pictures of her dancing, as she chewed a mouthful of food. She shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

"A Mr. Constantine was mentioned as being in your company most of the night,' Alfred observed.

"Yeah, him and a couple of other friends and I went out to celebrate,' she replied. "Is there any more coffee?"

Alfred reached over and poured her another cup.

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome. I take it this Mr. Constantine is a close friend?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that,' Zee replied.

"I'm sure Master Bruce will be happy to hear that,' Alfred observed.

"Why do you say that," she asked.

"I have the impression Master Bruce does not care for the man, especially in regards to you, Miss."

Zatanna just looked at him for a moment, her mouth full of food, not sure what to say.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark and Lashina came in the front door and Diana was waiting. Clark could feel the tension the moment they entered. Lashina and Diana just glared at each other.

"And here I thought this was going to be awkward,' Clark mused. "Lashina, Diana, you're going to make nice, right?"

"Of course,' Lashina said, still staring at Diana.

"Absolutely, Kal,' Diana replied, never taking her eye off Lashina.

"Well, nothing to worry about then,' he joked. "We should probably get you some other clothes, first thing, Lashina."

"If you say so, Clark,' she replied.

"Diana, do you have anything she could wear until we get her something else?"

She flashed him a look and Clark took a step back. He had to admit she made him a little nervous when she gave him that particular look. He was really pushing it asking for her help. Diana was reluctant to do anything for Lashina, but relented.

"I might have some old jeans she could wear,' Diana finally said.

"They would probably be too big,' Lashina observed. "You're rather thicker through the waist than I am. Those matronly hips of yours are much wider."

"I'll give you matronly hips,' Diana grumbled, making a fist and stepping towards Lashina. Clark quickly got between them.

"I thought we were going to play nice, Lashina,' he whispered. "You remember our talk on the station?"

"Of course,' she replied. She looked at Diana and gave her a fake smile. "No offense, Princess."

Diana didn't respond, just muttered to herself as she headed upstairs to grab some things for Lashina to wear. Clark watched her and then just shook his head.

"I can't catch a break."


	35. Chapter 35

The More, the Merrier

"Handle with Care"

Asgard

The very ground shook as the God of Thunder tossed his hammer in frustration. As much as he didn't want to turn back, his curiosity compelled him to. The reflecting pool that showed what was happening on Earth had transfixed the tall, powerfully built God.

"Oh, not again," he cried and slammed his hammer against his palm. One of the Gods of the Norse pantheon Balder came walking over.

"What troubles you so, Thor?"

"Midgard,' Thor grumbled.

"Is there some new threat there?"

"If only it were that simple! No, my friend, it is these two, Clark and Diana! Enough is enough, I tell you!"

Balder stepped to Thor's side. He took a long look into the reflecting pool in front of Thor.

"Oh, yes, I see, yes, they are very interesting,' Balder admitted. "I have a bet with Dionysus on those two."

"Dionysus? The Greek,' Thor asked in surprise.

"Yes, he loves to gamble and gave me very favorable odds,' Balder explained.

"So now he or one of the others will interfere, I suppose?"

"No, that is one of the rules, no God may interfere," Balder said with a shake of his head. He turned and looked at Thor. "Why are you so interested in them? They are just living together."

Thor started and stopped several times, growing more frustrated by the moment. Finally he unleashed a rant that seemed to sum up all the things about the situation that bothered him.

"I just find it, the whole situation so frustrating! Clark is being stupid. I respect him as Superman but by Odin's beard, he is getting in his own way here. Kiss her, you magnificent bastard! Clark is just soooo naive. Clark is more than just a Boy Scout. He's a self-imagined martyr for his own cause. I wish I could reach down there and grab Clark to tell him to shut up about bringing her. Do it man! I had hoped Clark would step up his game with Diana! I wanted to shout just give in Clark, she's perfect! You can't resist. So close but yet so far! Damn the eyes of Loki, Clark why are you such a Boy Scout! I got ripped off of a lemon! By the Valkyrie's blood, if I were Diana I'd say f*ck Clark and go get a man who can see being with her is worth the risk and they doesn't have to martyr himself over her."

Balder looked at Thor.

"You have such a strange manner when you speak of this. A Boy Scout? A lemon?"

"They are expressions I picked up, I'll explain them later,' Thor replied. "The point is I'm washing my hands of the man! If he doesn't know how to woo a woman like Diana, then he should step aside and allow a real man that does!"

"He is handicapped by not being allowed to use his powers,' Balder pointed out.

"Please," Thor said dismissively. "For a real man that would be no problem. Diana is beautiful, but innocent. She needs a strong man that will sweep her off her feet!"

"Why does that sound remarkably like you,' Balder said with a smile.

"What? You don't think I could do it," Thor asked indignantly.

"Are you offering me a bet, Thor," Balder asked. "Because it certainly sounds like one."

"What do you have in mind,' Thor replied.

"Well, if it is so easy for a real man as you put it, to get the Princess, I challenge you to put up or shut up,' Balder bluntly said. "You go down there, without using your powers and capture the Princess' heart. Is it a bet?"

"It's a bet!"

The two Gods clasped forearms and smiled.

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah walked casually, yet with a purpose down the station hallway. She was pleasant, returning each greeting, but didn't linger for conversation. The further she went the fewer and fewer members she saw. Finally she arrived at the Observation deck and opened the door. Standing looking out at the stars was Oliver Queen. He turned at the sound of the door opening and watched her walk in.

"It's done,' she said.

"Yes, I figured as much,' he replied. "Are you sure she won't know?"

"Once the compound is on her skin, it sinks in and is undetectable,' Dinah explained. "The transporter activates it."

"Seems Plastic Man has his talents after all,' Ollie said and then looked back out at the stars.

"Why did you use him, anyway,' Dinah asked. She came up and stood next to him. "You know I can't stand the man."

Ollie shrugged, but didn't turn towards her.

"She's a trained soldier and would have been looking for a sneak attack,' Ollie explained. "Plastic Man's just annoying enough she would overlook him. As soon as she made contact with him, the compounded entered her skin."

"I guess Bruce was right, it would work without her knowing,' Diana commented.

"So you're not a little uneasy about it,' Ollie asked. "Keeping this from the others is okay with you?"

"Yes, but she's too dangerous,' Dinah replied. "The mission is too important."

"Through those beautiful lips I suddenly hear Batman,' Ollie said dryly. "So I guess your date wasn't just a one time thing, huh?"

"Don't Ollie," Dinah replied. "It's over between us. Who I go out with is none of your concern anymore. Besides, the mission is the important thing."

Ollie smiled and then glanced out at the stars.

"It's not jealousy, Dinah,' he said. "I still care about you, but I can accept it ending. I'm worried about where you are heading. It's a dangerous path you're on and I don't think you can come back from it."

"Did it ever occur to you I finally know what I want, Ollie? I'm a grown woman and I think I can make my own decisions now."

He just nodded and started for the door. He stopped and turned back to her.

"Don't ask me for another favor like this again, please."

He took one last look at her and left the room. Dinah leaned back against the railing, still looking at the door. The room was deathly silent.

""I hope you know how uncomfortable that was, asking him,' she said.

"I didn't force you. You made a choice, Dinah."

Stepping out of the shadows was Batman.

"I care for him, Bruce, and I feel like I used him."

"Sacrifices have to be made sometimes for the greater good, Dinah,' he replied. "Lashina is a very dangerous woman. We couldn't just let her roam free on Earth."

"I know and I agree, but why this way?"

"Because Clark was partly right,' Batman said. "This station wasn't set up to be a jail."

"Why not transfer to a jail down on the planet?"

"Because I still believe everyone is entitled to a trial, no matter who they are,' he explained. "To hold her indefinitely without charging her with anything is wrong."

"Even if it's for everyone's safety,' Dinah asked

"That's the way it always starts,' he replied. "We are an organization founded on principles, Dinah. The moment we compromise them for the easy solution, we're on the road to being no better than the people we fight."

"A slippery slope?"

"No, that's too cliché,' he said with a shake of his head. "It's always easy to justify compromising your principles. The hard part is sticking to them even in the face of the worst affronts to humanity. If the mission is to mean anything, then it has to be based on principles, ones that don't change when things get tough."

She turned and looked at him now.

"So what do your principles say about letting Lashina loose in the suburbs? What about the innocent people that are surrounding her,' she challenged. "If she does attack and they get caught in the crossfire, I doubt they'll care about your principled reason for doing it, Bruce."

"That's why we tagged her with the compound,' Batman explained. "She gets her second chance, but we make sure she lives up to her side of it. Lashina steps out of line, just once, and we'll know it. "

"So are you going to keep this from the others? What does your principles say about that?"

"They agreed with Clark to give her a second chance,' Bruce rationalized. "We're just making sure she keeps to the bargain."

'So the answer is, no, you're not going to tell them."

"Not unless it's necessary."

"And if she goes rogue in the suburbs?"

"My instincts say that isn't what she's after,' Bruce replied. "I think this is more about Clark than anything."

"What if you're wrong and she goes crazy?"

Suddenly Bruce was completely gone and only Batman remained. His voice was cold and flat as he answered her.

'You seem to forget who actually owns that house, Dinah."

* * *

Gotham Heights

What seemed like a simple task, getting Lashina some clothes turned out to be not so simple. She was currently wearing a dress Diana had given her. To describe it as matronly would be generous. Diana believed Kara would describe it as neo-Amish. Lashina was not pleased with it and Diana was trying hard not to smile. She wasn't having a lot of success.

The simple solution would have been for Diana and Lashina to go to the mall and pick out some things for her to wear. Diana didn't want to go anywhere with Lashina and Lashina felt the same way. Clark and Diana weren't comfortable with the idea of Lashina going by herself. Diana didn't like the idea of Lashina going with Clark. Lashina, basing things on the dress, didn't want Diana going to buy her clothes.

They finally agreed on Clark going to the mall and getting her some clothes. This meant Lashina and Diana were home alone. Clark was nervous about this, but both women assured him there would be no fighting. He was more than a little dubious about that, but didn't have an alternative. Reluctantly he headed out, hoping the house was still standing when he got back.

At first they did their best to ignore each other. This worked for perhaps twenty minutes. It was a simple question that changed everything.

"So you like being married to Kal-El?"

Diana was sitting on the couch reading and looked up to see Lashina across from her.

"Yes," Diana admitted.

"I did too," Lashina replied. She raised one eyebrow and smiled wickedly.

"You were never married to Kal, Lashina, so stop lying,' Diana replied.

"Not in the formal sense, true, but in every way that really matters we were."

Diana put her magazine down and turned all her attention to Lashina.

"You're lying."

"Am I? You mean he hasn't told you about our time together,' Lashina asked. "My, my, my, that seems like something a husband should tell his wife, don't you think?"

"You and Kal?"

"Uh-huh."

"When did this liaison supposedly happen,' Diana asked, still not believing a word of it.

"When he was on Apokolips."

"When he was brainwashed, you mean,' Diana fired back. "I would imagine it would take brainwashing him to be with you."

"The kitten has claws,' Lashina dismissively said. "For your information, he was only brainwashed to believe he was Darkseid's son. That little change seemed to release all his unbridled passion. I don't have to tell you about those, do I?"

Diana was getting angry now. The thought of what Lashina was suggesting made her blood boil. The idea of Kal and this woman together was too much. It had to be a lie.

"You are lying, Lashina, I just know it,' Diana finally said.

Lashina chuckled and stretched on the chair. She gave Diana a dismissive look and then leaned forward. She slowly got up and moved around the coffee table and sat down next to Diana. Diana found her much too close and moved further down the couch.

"Four feet, Lashina, have you never heard of personal space?"

Lashina smiled wickedly at Diana.

"You're starting to sound like him, Princess."

"Don't call me Princess."

If Lashina heard her, she gave no indication.

"You sound like him, but have you been with him, Princess?"

"That's none of your business, Lashina."

"That means no,' Lashina triumphantly replied. She sat back and chuckled at this. Diana's anger continued to rise.

"And you're going to say you have," Diana asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I would have thought Kal had better taste that than. Then again, he was brainwashed."

Lashina looked over at Diana. The smile was still on her lips, but there was no warmth behind it.

"If you ever do have sex with him, which I doubt, perhaps he won't call out my name in the heat of the moment."

"I don't believe a word you say, Lashina."

Lashina stood up and looked down at Diana.

"Face it, Princess, your 'marriage' is just an illusion. Kal-El needs a real woman, not an animated clay blow up doll."

She laughed cruelly and started to walk away. Diana could stand it no more. Her lasso magically appeared in her hand and she launched it at Lashina. She tried to dodge, but the lasso caught around her wrist. Diana was on her feet now, holding on as Lashina struggled to break free.

"We will get to the truth now,' Diana growled. "You can't break it, so stop trying. Why are you really here, Lashina?"

The warrior from Apokolips screamed in frustration but she could feel the lasso compelling her to tell the truth.

"Him!"

She finally spat it out, glaring murderously at Diana.

"Kal? Why?"

"He deserves better than the likes of you, Princess! He's mine; I'm his perfect match! I would rather see him with no one than ever with you!"

"Admit you lied about sleeping with him,' Diana fired back at her, holding the lasso in her firm grip. While Lashina couldn't get loose from the lasso, that didn't mean she couldn't fight back. From her free hand, a whip flashed out at Diana. She managed to block it, but her grip on the lasso slipped. Lashina took the opportunity to pull it from her grasp. They stood facing each other across the living room. Lashina held up her arm, the lasso still around her arm.

"If you think I'm lying, ask him yourself, Princess," Lashina hissed. She took off the lasso and flung it at Diana. "I promised him not to fight, but you and I have date when this is all over, Princess!"

"Yes, we do and I promise it will be a date you long remember, Lashina!"

The sound of the doorbell caught them both off guard.

"Were you expecting someone,' Lashina asked.

"No,' Diana admitted.

* * *

The Gotham Heights Mall

What had seemed like a fairly simple task, Clark was realizing was anything but. So far he'd only purchased a couple of Aeropostale hoodies from Old Navy. He now stood with the shopping bags in his hand in front of Victoria Secret. He had a moment of clarity. A man with a woman in this store looks like a dutiful husband or boyfriend. A man alone in this store looks like Johnny Pervert foraging through the panties.

He was learning a lesson all men receive sooner or later. Shopping for a woman was a dizzying minefield of potential mistakes. Men are ill equipped for the task from the start. For a man, shopping involves three numbers, neck size, waist size and shoe size. Everything else is small, medium and large, occasionally, extra large. The men's section of a store has two main areas, men and boys. The women's section has subdivisions: Miss sizes, Miss Petite, Junior, Junior Petite, Young Junior, Women, Half and Plus sizes. This doesn't even get into Vanity sizing, or how different brands have their own sizes that run different from others.

After two initial forays into the world of women's clothes, Clark knew he needed help. His first attempt had been at Lane Bryant. He remembered hearing somewhere, it was for the plus size gal. He assumed like most men, it was the equivalent of a Big and Tall store. Following this logic, he reasoned Lashina was a much taller than average woman, so this was the place to go. It took a few moments, but as he looked at the other customers in the store he realized he might have made a mistake.

His second attempt was at Nordstroms. Here he was introduced to the concept of size zero. In men's sizes, zero is an impossibility. Woman apparently didn't have this same handicap. The clerk, a size zero herself, was trying to be helpful, but Clark got lost in the sizes and numbers. He ended up thanking her and saying he'd come back with his wife.

A wise man knows when he is in over his head and needs help. So as Clark turned away from Victoria's Secret, he tried to think of whom to call. His first instinct was Kara. He ruled her out, as he imagined how that would look. She was too old to be his daughter. So again he would look like pervy older guy with hot young teenage girlfriend. Plus, he knew her well enough to know she would take ever opportunity to embarrass him.

He thought of calling Martha Kent, but a shiver went up his spine at the image of her holding up a bra and asking him if he thought it would fit Lashina. Hours of therapy lay down that road. He thought of the other women in the League, but he really wasn't that close with any of them. He was becoming better friends with Zatanna lately, but that seemed a little over the line for a developing friendship. What he needed was someone who was detached from the situation. As he scanned the numbers in his phone, he stopped on just the right one. He quickly dialed the number.

"Hello? Yes, Karen Starr, please. Yes, tell her it is Clark Kent. Thank you."

* * *

Gotham Heights

LuAnn, Dottie and Jenny were relaxing in LuAnn's living room. Mazzy Star was playing on the stereo. They were a little bit high. Jenny was standing in front of the mirror, touching her face. Dottie was trying to get the bowl lit, but her lighter wasn't cooperating.

"I'm at my peak,' Jenny suddenly said.

"What,' LuAnn asked. She was lounging on the sofa and rolled her head to the side and looked at Jenny.

"I'm at my peak,' Jenny repeated.

"Peak what,' Dottie asked.

"My peak of physical beauty. You know how in high school there is always that one girl that develops before everyone else?"

"Yeah, that was me,' LuAnn proudly said.

"She doesn't know it at the time, but that's the best she's ever going to look,' Jenny continued, not acknowledging LuAnn. "That girl when you go back for a reunion seems a little faded, like she's already past her prime, you know."

"On second thought, I wasn't that girl,' LuAnn replied.

"Everyone hits their peak, their prime at different times,' Jenny continued, still looking at her face in the mirror. "I remember the captain of our football team in high school. God, he was so handsome. I hadn't seen him since high school and then ran into him a couple of weeks ago. He's a cop, fat and balding, it was such a downer."

LuAnn slowly got up and walked towards the window as she listened to Jenny. Dottie set the bowl down and just stared at Jenny.

"It's like when you look through a photo album of pictures of your mother or grandmother. There's always one that stands out. A smile comes to her face as she looks at it, cause she's remembering what it was like to be at her peak. I find myself walking through stores lately, looking at people, trying to figure are they still on their way towards their peak or on the way down from it. Sometimes it's easy to tell. The person's peak was so long ago they've just given up, you know? They're those married couples you see that sort of dress alike and you can't imagine they were ever sexual beings. I call them neutrals. They're all around us."

Jenny finally turned from the mirror and looked at the other two.

"I'm at my peak, right now and I don't know what to do,' she said.

"Oh-My-God, you just blew my mind, literally blew my mind,' Dottie remarked.

"Hey, there's someone new going to the Kent's house,' LuAnn said. "Yum, now that's what I call a man!"

The others two were standing next to her in moments. They looked out and saw a huge, muscular man, with fiery red hair and beard walking with a purpose up the front walk. He was carrying two large barrels with him.

"Do you think he's a delivery man,' Dottie asked.

The man sat the barrels down and rang the bell. When the door opened, he immediately stepped inside. The three women waited, but he didn't come back out.

"No, I don't think he's a delivery man,' Jenny finally said.

"You know, as good neighbors, we should go over and welcome Clark and Diana's friends,' LuAnn suggested.

"You just want to meet him, don't you,' Dottie said with a smile.

"Don't you,' LuAnn replied.

"Good point, but let's finish this bowl first."

They all agreed to this.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Across the street

Diana's mind was still on Lashina and her revelations, as she opened the front door.

"Diana!"

Her eyes went wide in shock.

"Thor?"

In the next moment he swept her up in his arms and kissed her. She was so shocked and surprised she didn't know what to do. Lashina watched all of this in surprise as well. When she finally managed to break his kiss, Diana struggled against him.

"Put me down, now!"

He set her down and stood there smiling at her.

'Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I saw that you are letting others in on your bet, so I decided to join you,' he said in a booming voice.

"Oh, this is rich,' Lashina said with a smirk.

"Ah, the She-Devil from Apokolips,' Thor said to her. "One of the supposed New Gods."

"People were tired of the old ones,' Lashina offered.

"Thor, what-what are you talking about,' Diana managed to say, still very confused. "What do you mean you want to join?"

He took her hand in his and grew solemn.

"Diana, I realized that you are special,' he began. "If mortal men don't see this, than it is the responsibility of a compassionate God to acknowledge this. I'm here for you, Princess, if you'll have me."

"Wh-What?"

"What," Lashina repeated, almost as surprised as Diana.

Before they could say anything, a voice spoke up from the doorway.

"Knock, knock, hello, anyone home,' LuAnn pleasantly said. "Oh, Diana, you have company."

LuAnn, Dottie and Jenny stood in the doorway looking at Thor. They were all smiling in admiration. Jenny happened to glance over and saw Lashina for the first time.

"Oh, there's someone else visiting, ''she said. The other women managed to pull their eyes away from Thor and look at Lashina.

"Are you going to introduce us to your friends, Diana,' LuAnn asked. Diana was speechless, so confused and bewildered at everything that was happening. It was Lashina that spoke up first.

"I'm Clark's first wife, Lashina," she said with a big smile.

"What,' the three women said.

"What?" Thor added, turning to look at her.

"What?" Diana finally exclaimed, as the words registered in her brain. She glared at Lashina, but the other woman just smiled more.

"And who are you,' Dottie managed to ask Thor.

He glanced at Diana and then at Lashina, before turning and smiling at the three neighbors.

"I'm Diana's first husband!"

"What?" Diana exclaimed again, not believing her ears.

* * *

Outside the house

Clark parked his car in the driveway and opened the trunk. He unloaded the shopping bags and headed up the front walk. Karen had been amazing, dropping everything and coming to his rescue. While they weren't probably really family, she had stepped up like family and helped him. All in all, it hadn't been that bad of an experience. Compared to everything else that had been going on, it had been a calm, reasonable day.

He put his key in the front door and juggled the bags. Opening the door, he stepped inside and was greeted by a room full of people.

"Clark!"

It was Thor's voice that came booming across the room first.

"Oh, no, not this jackass,' Clark dropped the shopping bags and muttered under his breath. In the next moment, Thor embraced him, lifting him off the ground in a bear hug.

"Hey, Thor, what, um, ah, a surprise,' Clark managed to say. He tired to sound happy, but didn't quite pull it off. When Thor finally put him down, Clark looked to Diana. She looked even more confused than he was.

"That's so nice that you get along with Diana's first husband, Clark,' Dottie said.

"Her what,' Clark asked.

"Yes," LuAnn added. "You seem much closer than Diana and your first wife do."

"My what?"

He looked at Diana again, desperate for some explanation, but she seemed totally at a lose for words. He happened to glance at Lashina and saw she was smiling. He suddenly had a bad feeling about the words, first wife. He glanced at the front door and wonder if he could just walk out and this would all be a bad dream. Maybe he could go back to the mall and ask Karen out. At least dating her would be drama free. Sure, people would probably freak a bit thinking they were related, but once they straightened that out, what was the worst that could happen?


	36. Chapter 36

The Inferno

"The Uncommitted"

Gotham Heights

"So there I was in a small Germanic village, cut off from civilization with little more than a butter knife and my own two strong hands, with the wolves literally at the door."

"Oh, my, you are absolutely like that man from the Dos Equis beer commercials, Thor,' LuAnn said. "You're the most interesting man alive!"

"Most interesting blowhard more like it,' Clark muttered under his breath. Diana elbowed him to be quiet as Thor continued his story. Clark rolled his eyes and leaned back against the patio doors, as the story continued. Thor had been spinning tales of his daring for the last three hours and LuAnn, Dottie and Jenny were eating them up. They sat on the couch mesmerized by him. Clark was standing further back by the patio, Diana on one side and Lashina on the other.

While Clark knew Thor was a good man or God or whatever, he really didn't like him. The words pompous douchebag and jackass came to mind whenever he thought about him. Thor was one of those too loud, backslapping types that saw everything as some grand adventure. They were in the suburbs having coffeecake, for heaven sake, not mounting a charge on the Citadel, Clark mused, yet on and on Thor went.

Clark didn't like the idea of Thor as Diana's first husband either. Truth be told, he didn't like anything involving Thor and Diana. He had tried to suggest the whole first marriage thing wasn't really the case, but was shot down on all the alternatives he suggested. He'd offered Lashina as Diana's sister. They were both tall, dark haired beauties, but they both immediately said no. Apparently that was one thing they could agree on. Clark had tried the idea of Lashina and Thor as a couple; but they were having none of it.

All this had taken place hurriedly in the kitchen with the three neighbors sitting in the living room. Before Clark could suggest any other alternatives, Thor was barging back into the living room. He began to tell his tall tales and hadn't stopped ever since. Clark grew more annoyed at him, as the stories continued and Thor incessantly looked over at Diana while he was telling them. There was just something about it Clark didn't like at all. She was his wife and he certainly didn't like the God of Thunder making a play for her.

Clark caught himself at this point. Technically Diana was his wife, but that didn't change the situation that much. Thor had even brought them gifts. Glancing over, Clark saw Diana was quite impressed with the jeweled knife Thor had given her.

"You don't have a problem with him giving you gifts,' he asked.

Diana looked up from the knife.

"It's very nice."

'So another man giving you gifts, you don't see that as a problem?"

"He gave you one too,' Diana said in her defense. "That ceremonial staff with the banner on it."

"It's a stick with a streamer, Diana,' Clark replied. "I sure it will come in handy when I begin my career in rhythmic gymnastics. Somehow though, I think the knife means a little more than the stick he gave me."

"It's a sign of courtship,' Lashina said. "He's making his intentions plain."

"Don't be ridiculous,' Diana said. "It's just a nice gift."

"No, it's a gift of courtship,' Lashina insisted. "The same goes for the gift he gave Clark. Thor gives gifts to his intended, you, Princess and to her family, which is Clark technically in this situation. The same goes for what he's doing now. He's stating his feats of courage and daring to impress you, Princess."

"Don't call me Princess,' Diana growled and then hit Clark.

"Ow! I didn't call you Princess, she did,' he gasped. He kept his voice low so the three neighbors wouldn't hear.

"But you brought her here and took responsibility for her,' Diana replied. Lashina grinned at this and continued.

"He's courting you, Princess,' she said. "The gift and the telling of feats of courage, it's all very Third World God stuff, believe me."

"Oh really, and what's Fourth World God stuff,' Diana said in a mocking tone.

"We have sex, lots of sex,' Lashina replied.

Diana hit Clark again. He rubbed his shoulder and looked at her.

"What did I do?"

"You slept with her, didn't you,' Diana accused.

"In fairness, there wasn't a lot of sleeping involved,' Lashina offered. This caused Diana to hit Clark again. He groaned and turned to Lashina.

"You're not helping, you realize that, don't you," he asked. She just smiled at him. He shook his head and turned back to Diana.

"I can explain,' he said. "If your 'first husband' would ever shut up and we could get those three out of here, I'd be happy to explain."

"He's not my first husband which you already know, besides, even if he was, I didn't sleep with him like you did with her,' Diana fired back. She looked at Clark. "You did, didn't you?"

"Well, um, ah, technically, well, yes, but it wasn't like you think,' Clark replied, trying to justify what had happened. It didn't work so well and even as he said it he knew it wouldn't. As if the hole he was in was deep enough, Lashina decided to dig it a little deeper.

"You really should have told your wife, Kal-El. A woman likes to know these things before she gets married."

He looked back and forth from Lashina to Diana and didn't know what to say. Lashina was smiling, while Diana wouldn't even look at him.

"Have I told you about the time I rescued the baby eagles that had fallen from their nest,' Thor asked in his booming voice.

"No, please, tell us,' LuAnn eagerly replied.

"Oh, great, another story, that's just perfect," Clark grumbled.

"You know Clark I brought you a gift too,' Lashina whispered. "It's more of a private gift that I could give you when we're alone."

"Oh Jeez,' Clark groaned, as he knew what was coming next. Diana hit him.

* * *

The Watchtower

Wally was doing a brisk business taking bets. It seemed that Diana and Clark passing the two-week marker and the arrival of Lashina had spurred more interest in the wager. He'd enlisted Shayera, who was still mad at him for some reason he couldn't figure, into helping him keep track of all the bets.

"Flash!"

Wally looked up as he heard his name shouted in a deep gravely voice. He gulped, nervously as he saw Etrigan the Demon stalking towards him. Something about him had always given Wally the willies. He resembles a squat, muscular humanoid creature with orange skin, horns, red eyes, and ears resembling bat wings.

"What did you do to piss him off,' Shayera asked.

"I don't know,' Wally replied. "I still don't know what I did to piss you off, Shayera."

"Well I shouldn't have to tell you what you did,' she fired back.

Before he could ask how he was suppose to know if she didn't tell him, Etrigan slapped his hand down on the table.

"Fifty!"

"Wh-What?"

"Fifty, you imbecile!"

"Fifty what?"

"I'm betting fifty on Batman!"

"Great," Wally said, hesitantly reaching out to take the money. He moved quickly, rather afraid Etrigan was going to touch him or something.

"I will be back in two weeks for my winnings,' Etrigan snarled.

"Okay, but you know there is a chance you might lose.' Wally felt compelled to say. Etrigan just glared at him. Even Shayera felt the need to tighten her hold around her mace.

"Two weeks," Etrigan repeated and then stalked off.

"Right, nice doing business with you,' Wally half-heartedly called after him. Once Etrigan was out of hearing range, Wally leaned towards Shayera.

"Boy, talk about inappropriate, huh?"

"You mean like asking other women out when you're on a date with me,' Shayera fired back.

"Is that why you're pissed?"

"I shouldn't have to tell you why I'm angry, you should already know!"

"I'm going to go with yes on that one."

* * *

Gotham Heights

The three neighbors had finally left. A quick trip to the mall got two mattresses. Lashina was now using what had been Clark's den as a bedroom and Thor was sleeping in the pool house. Apparently he wasn't leaving. There was another round of discussions about the whole first husband and wife issue, but nothing changed. At dinner, Thor presented Diana with two barrels of mead. Toasts were of course made. Clark stuck to a nice Chilean Carménère wine. Lashina preferred harder liquor. Finally after too many backslaps and good-natured shakings, the four decided to call it a night. Lashina managed to kiss Clark right in front of Diana and that did not go over well.

Once they were alone in their bedroom, Diana gave Clark the silent treatment. He knew it should bother him, but frankly after having Thor practically shouting in his face all night, along with the spittle, it wasn't that bad of a change. Clark offered her a good night kiss, but felt a chill at her glare. They got into bed and the lights were turned off. He figured he'd just get some sleep and try and see if he could work this out somehow tomorrow. It was probably fifteen minutes later when he felt her shift on the bed and then sensed her looking at him. He reached over and turned on the light to find Diana staring down at him.

"Yes? You have something on your mind,' he asked. This cute comment earned him a smack on the chest.

"Ow."

"How could you sleep with Lashina and not tell me, Kal,' Diana demanded.

"It happened before I even knew you, Diana."

"So she was telling the truth when she said you two were a couple on Apokolips?"

"Couple is not really how I would put it,' Clark replied. He wasn't sure just how he would put it, but couple didn't seem like the right word.

"You had sex with her, didn't you,' Diana asked.

"Well, yes."

"More than once?"

"I was there for quite awhile Diana,' he offered, but the look on her face told him that wouldn't do. "Um, well, yes, we did."

"So you brought a woman I despise into our house, who is also your former lover,' Diana stated. "You didn't think that little detail was important?"

"Diana, when I was on Apokolips, I wasn't really myself," he tried to explain. "They made me believe things that weren't true, that I was Darkseid's son. I did some terrible things that I'm still ashamed of during that time. I guess I don't like talking about it because I still feel guilty about how easily they were able to manipulate me. I killed without a second thought and I can still see each and ever face."

He sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"I know it's no excuse, but the shame and horror over what I did is the reason I don't talk about it. Lashina was part of my life then, but she's not now. I was given a second chance here when I probably shouldn't have been. I attacked Earth and caused so much damage, yet I was given that second chance. That's why I feel I have to give her one. It has nothing to do with us sleeping together in the past, I swear."

Diana could see this was a painful subject for him. She had heard the details after she arrived and always found them hard to believe. The man she knew didn't seem capable of doing the things they said he'd done. Looking at him now, she saw just how much it had wounded him. She felt herself soften as she realized he was telling her things he probably hadn't told anyone else.

"They manipulated you, Kal, you can't blame yourself for that,' she offered.

"Yes I can, Diana,' he replied. His voice was low, almost a whisper. "I should have been able to resist, to fight harder, but I didn't. Darkseid was able to turn me into the very thing I hate. I'll never be able to undo the things I've done."

Diana reached up and caressed his face. This wasn't Superman or even Clark Kent talking, but the man underneath all the masks.

"You can't keep punishing yourself for the past, Kal,' she said. "Darkseid's whole world is set up to create slaves for him. You were manipulated, but you broke free of it and did the right thing. You're a good man and you should always remember that."

"Tell that to the people that died."

"You have to come to some peace about this, Kal or you will never be free of it. We all make mistakes; it's how we respond to them that matters most. You've done everything in your power to make up for yours,' she said to him.

He nodded and then looked at her finally.

"I know you're right, I do,' he admitted. "It's just that I'll always see that look in some people's eyes. They will always wonder if it happened once, can it happen again? I don't have an answer for them. I want to say no, it will never happen again, but I'm not sure. I think that's what is behind me wanting to help Lashina. I had just a taste of her world and look what I did. I can only imagine what it was like growing up there."

Diana felt her dislike for the woman rising within her, but she set it aside.

"You never embraced the evil completely, Kal, she has,' Diana said. "You did what you did, but never enjoyed it, she does. The second chance she wants is with you, not to reject Apokolips. She admitted it earlier."

"You may be right, I don't know,' he replied. "If all she's ever known is viciousness and cruelty, how can we know what she might be? If we put ourselves in her situation, can you honestly say we wouldn't be just like her? I can't, Diana. Whatever Lashina's reason for doing this, I have to at least try to help her the same way people helped me. If there's even the slightest chance for her redemption, I have to give her that chance."

"I understand, Kal, I do, but I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

"At least I'll know I tried," he said.

Diana could see how deeply he felt about all this. She didn't like it, but she knew she had to support him. That's what wives do.

"So she's staying,' Diana finally said.

"I know you don't like it, Diana, but if it makes you feel any better, I'm not that pleased about Thor being here either,' he said with a smile.

"He's a good man, Kal,' she replied.

"He's a jackass, Diana."

'You never did like him."

"Well, I'm at least glad you got your mistake out of the way with your first husband,' Clark teased. "Look how well you picked the second time?"

"Oh, ha-ha, Kal, you know I don't like this whole first husband and first wife thing, but what's the alternative? Besides, you're one to talk,' she replied. "You should be thanking me for marrying you after Lashina."

"Well, at least she 's not a pompous blowhard like your first husband,' he countered.

"No, she's a murderous witch,' Diana said. She settled back down on the bed next to him and smiled. She felt a little better about all of this and couldn't help teasing him just a bit. "You know I'm a much better wife than she is, Kal. You should really be thanking me, you know."

He smiled and then leaned down and kissed her.

"Thank you, Diana. You're the best wife I've ever been forced into marrying."

She playfully smacked him and then rolled over.

"Make sure you don't forget that, Kal. Good night."

Good night, Diana."

He reached over and turned off the light.

* * *

Gotham

Bruce walked into the kitchen only to find Zatanna was there again.

"Why are you always here,' he asked. She gave him a look and put her hands on her hips.

"Dick,' she spat back at him. 'The last time you brought me here, remember? God, you have no manners at all, do you?"

"Sorry,' he offered. "It's just I don't see you for months and now I see you all the time."

"A refreshing change, if I might say,' Alfred added.

"Thank you, Alfred,' she said with a smile. "I know I can always count on one person in this house having good manners."

Bruce dismissed this and moved on.

"So what brings you here today, breakfast?"

"No, but Alfred was nice enough to feed me,' she replied. "Excellent, as always."

"Thank you, Miss Zatanna."

"So,' Bruce asked, as he glanced at the morning paper.

"I want to go to Gotham Heights,' Zee said to him.

"What? Do you want to borrow a car or something?'

"No, I want you to go with me,' she explained.

"I don't do the suburbs,' he quickly answered.

Zatanna smiled and moved over next to Bruce.

"You know it must be killing you not seeing it first hand, Bruce,' she whispered. "I'd ask you to guess whose dropped into the mix, but you probably already know, don't you?"

"Thor."

"I knew you'd know about it,' she said. "It's probably some high tech, creepy Batman thing you have going on, but I don't want to know. The news is all over the station and the betting has gone wild, Bruce. Everyone's getting in on it. Members I didn't even know were alive are suddenly showing up to put in some cash. I doubled my bet on you, so you owe me."

"I didn't tell you to do that,' he countered.

"Come on, Bruce, you know you're dying to see what's going on first hand,' she said with a tempting smile. "You're the great detective remember? Don't you want to get down there and do some snooping on the ground, so to speak?"

"You make it sound like a game, Zee,' Bruce replied. "Besides, you might not know this, but I'm sort of famous in these parts. Wayne Industries, perhaps you've heard of it? I can't just go into the suburbs without someone noticing."

"Aren't you suppose to be a master of disguise or something,' she asked. "Whip one out and let's go! It will be fun, Bruce. We can go undercover as a young couple looking to buy a house and find out from the neighbors what's really going on. Think of it, Bruce, you get to be the detective without the cape."

He looked at her and saw her smiling. He had to admit it was tempting to see first hand what was going on down there.

"I guess I could put on a mustache,' he offered.

"A mustache? That's it,' she replied. "Wow, you're a regular Lon Chaney, aren't you?'

"Are you going to be this snotty for the whole trip,' he asked.

"So you'll go,' she said.

"Yeah, why not."

Zatanna hugged him and gave a little squeal of excitement.

"I knew I could talk you into it,' she exclaimed. "Now we need covers, probably just names to pull this off. I was thinking of Bert and Abigail, what do you think?"

'Bert? I don't want to be a Bert,' Bruce replied. "Why do you get a nice name like Abigail and I have to be Bert?"

"Okay, okay, pick another name, Bob or Ted, I don't care, let's just get going."

"You are so pushy sometimes, you know that don't you,' he asked.

"It's not pushy, it's just knowing what I want and getting it,' she countered.

"Pushy,' he repeated.

"No, it's not, Bert!"

"I said no, there is no way I'm being Bert and that's final."

"What do you have against the name Bert, anyway,' she asked. "I mean it's not like Bruce is such a great name."

"Excuse me?"

It was Alfred that finally ended this.

"Shall I have the car brought around, Master Bruce,' he said. "I would imagine you want to get started."

Bruce looked at him and then at Zatanna.

"All right, yes, have a car brought around please,' he finally said. He turned to Zee. "We're not finished with this name discussion, Abigail."

"How about Dwayne?'

"NO."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark was up earlier. It had become his morning ritual to swim laps. It seemed to clear his mind and allow him some quiet time to think. As was the case lately, his mind was on Diana. Their talk last night was still echoing in his mind. She was really the first person he'd ever spoken to about what happened. It actually felt good to open up to someone about the guilt he was still feeling about the whole incident.

He was learning she was even more of a remarkable woman than he thought. The doubts still remained, though. In the chaos of Lashina and then Thor arriving, some of the fundamental issues had almost been forgotten. He still didn't see a way he could be with her as Clark Kent.

The sound of someone singing part of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung made his stop at the edge of the pool. He looked up to see a naked Thor standing in front of him.

"Oh, Jeez, come on, Thor, put a towel on or something,' Clark groaned as he turned his eyes away.

"I'm not ashamed of my body, Clark,' Thor bellowed in return.

"Great to hear, really, good for you, but we're in the suburbs and have neighbors so if you would," Clark replied.

"If you insist,' Thor said.

"I do, I really do."

There was a rustling and when Clark looked up Thor had a towel barely wrapped around his waist.

"A glorious morning,' Thor said and then started singing again.

"Thor, people are trying to sleep, you know,' Clark offered. "Why are you up so early, anyway?"

"I heard you swimming and wanted a chance to talk to you, man to God, so to speak."

'About what,' Clark asked, as he wiped the water from his eyes.

"Diana."

"What about her?"

"As men of action and warriors, I feel it is only right I tell you I plan on making her mine, Clark,' Thor boldly said.

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't she had a say in it?"

"Of course, I'm not a complete barbarian," Thor replied. "I just wanted to give you fair warning that I'm going to take her from you."

"So the gift was a symbol of your intention to court her?"

"Yes."

"I see,' Clark said. He could feel the anger rising up inside of him. He had never cared for Thor and right now he really didn't care for him.

"Don't be forlorn, Clark, you still have the She-Devil from Apokolips,' Thor offered. "She has made it plain she wants you."

"And Diana?"

Clark willed himself to remain calm, although the thought of how satisfying punching Thor in the face did cross his mind.

"You are not the man for her, Clark, I am,' Thor explained. "She needs a man who knows what he wants and takes it."

"Like you.'

"Exactly,' Thor replied. "Did you not understand the meaning of my gift to you?"

'The stick?"

"Have you ever read the mortal poet Dante, Clark?"

"No."

"You should, it's very good,' Thor said. "It is the man's attempted to describe the afterlife. It's fiction, really, but he is very poetic. I believe there is a part that describes you and why I will get Diana and you won't."

"Really?"

"Yes, in the Divine Comedy, Dante and Virgil descend into Hell. Most people don't remember the first people they meet, but I think they will interest you. You see, before entering Hell completely, Dante and his guide, Virgil, see the Uncommitted, souls of people who in life did nothing, neither for good nor evil. Mixed with them are outcasts who took no side in the Rebellion of Angels. These souls are neither in Hell nor out of it, but reside on the shores of the Acheron, their punishment to eternally pursue a banner while pursued by wasps and hornets that continually sting them while maggots and other such insects drink their blood and tears. The staff I gave you is that banner they chase, Clark. You let fear stop you, so you are like the Uncommitted. You can't win what you don't fully try for. That is why I will get Diana and you will not."

Thor stared at Clark for a moment and then went back into the pool house.


	37. Chapter 37

Precipice

"Being a Man"

Gotham Heights

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on.

I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them."

- John Wayne in The Shootist -

Be a man.

Ask twenty people what it means to be a man and you'll get twenty different answers. It seems to constantly be evolving and changing, yet there is a constant to being a man. It isn't a matter of age; you only need to look around you to see this. Everyday you hear some story about a guy who thought he was being disrespected, so he shoots up a house or kills someone. That's not being a man, that's a boy pretending to be a man cause he has a gun.

It's always a struggle to become a man. The action heroes we see on the screen, kicking ass and taking names are some warped view of what a man is. The bluster and look at me attitude that seems so common today is just a sad attempt to convince others what you know in your heart isn't true.

There are many types of men and they come in all shapes and sizes. They all share fundamental traits though. Honor, not the kind you hear so much about on the battlefield, but a quiet sort, the honor of keeping your word. Most of the traits of a real man are like that, quiet and hardly noticed.

It's something only a man can teach another. That might not be fashionable to say these days, but it's as old as time. The young look to those around them for role models, for guidance on what it means to be a man or a woman. It's difficult enough for all of us, but if there are no men around a boy never learns to be a man. He will become something of a caricature of what he sees presented to him in the media or music or culture of what it means to be a man.

A man and woman had raised Clark Kent. He'd learned many of his lessons well, but he was still struggling with what it means to be a man. To the outside world, he was Superman representing a man in every sense of the word, yet if was the private side of it that he was still learning. That was why Thor's words had such a sting to them. The Uncommitted, it had such a horrible ring to it. Unwanted truth usually does.

Thor had challenged Clark in the most direct and basic way. He'd challenged him as a man. There was a word for what Thor so plainly stated were his intentions, cuckold. Clark's first thought was to climb out of the pool and kick the loud mouth Norse God's ass all the way back to Asgard.

It was the thought of the stick that stopped him. The Uncommitted, neither in Heaven or Hell, but sentenced to spend an eternity chasing a banner. The banner represents self-interest and the wasps and hornets that pursue them represent the sting of their conscience. Clark realized Thor had chosen very well in his gift, for didn't that describe what Clark was doing? Since this whole bet had started, he'd just gone along. It was Diana that took every step forward, while he continued to step back. He was the Uncommitted, never choosing, just letting things happen to him.

Maybe he was so used to be cautious; he didn't know how to be anything else anymore. Clark wasn't sure and because of it he hadn't acted on his anger. Hadn't he been hesitating all this time with Diana? It seemed he had one excuse after another for them not to be together. Some of them may be legitimate, but he was only seeing why it wouldn't work, not how it might. The whole outing to the theater had been one long performance to show Diana how difficult it would be for her to put up with his bumbling, mild mannered routine.

As hard as it was to admit, maybe Thor was right, maybe Clark didn't deserve Diana. Maybe he wasn't the man for her. He'd certainly not acted like a man in love towards her. If he couldn't commit to a relationship with her in this situation, then when would he ever? Perhaps Thor had a point. You can't take something away from a man if he's unwilling to commit to it in the first place.

* * *

Lashina was awake in the small room she was using as a bedroom. Growing up on Apokolips, you learn to be a light sleeper. She had heard Clark go out to swim and got up to watch him from the window. She was only wearing a shirt she borrowed from him to sleep in. She liked having his smell close to her and it annoyed the Princess, so it was a win-win.

Standing in the dark at the window, she had heard every word Thor said. She couldn't believe Clark hadn't climbed out of the pool and responded. It was what she would have done, no question. She would have taken that stick Thor gave him and shoved it up his ass. Several emotions seemed to rush through her at the same time. She was angry at Thor was having the nerve to talk to Clark that way, but she was even angrier with Clark for taking it.

If that is what it means to be a hero, she thought, they could have it. The Kal-El she knew was passionate and forceful. He took what he wanted and didn't let anyone stand in his way. The man she watched climb out of the pool and walk inside the house was a pale reflection of him. This is what comes from living with the Princess she thought. All their noble words meant nothing if they turned in the face of a direct challenge.

Lashina realized Thor was going to be a problem for her. As long as he was there, the dynamic was off. At first she believe it would be a help to her cause, having Thor woo the Princess, but now she saw that wasn't the case. Clark would focus on nothing else as long as Thor was there. Thor had to go, Lashina decided. With him out of the picture, Lashina could tempt Clark while sowing the seeds of doubt in the Princess's mind. She could split them up and make Clark hers, as it should be.

As selfish as this was, there was another part of Lashina that was only thinking of Clark. She knew he wasn't a coward, yet his response or lack there of, to Thor's challenge bothered her. He might seem like a quiet, calm man on the exterior, but Lashina knew from experience there were deep passions just below the surface. He was hers, of this she had no doubt, but he needed to show what sort of man he was to Thor. He needed to make a stand for himself, she thought. It was a risk, but she wanted him to commit, even if it was to the Princess. Once he embraced his passions, he would be moving towards Lashina not the Princess.

As she exited her room and walked into the living room, she heard him banging quietly around the kitchen. Leaving the shirt she was wearing unbutton she went to him.

He was trying to make coffee, but she could see his hand shaking as he tried to control his temper.

"Here, let me do that,' she said, sliding her hand along his and taking the coffee pot from him. He turned and looked at her and immediately noticed she wasn't wearing anything under the shirt. He quickly turned away.

"Um, ah, thanks, Lashina."

She poured the water into the machine and turned it on. She moved along the counter until she was directly in front of him.

"You're angry,' she stated.

He was going to deny it as he usually did and say everything was okay, but she hadn't said it as a question but as a fact.

"Yes, I am,' he admitted.

"You should be,' she replied. She held his gaze, almost challenging him.

"It's not that simple, Lashina,' he offered, but she shook her head no.

"Yes it is, Clark. Thor couldn't make it any clearer, he's here to take something away from you."

"Diana's not a thing, Lashina," he countered. "She's an adult and she can choice for herself."

"I care little about the Princess, you know that," she stated. "This isn't about her, Kal-El, it's about you. He spit in your face, are you just going to take it?"

"What would you have me do, fight him,' Clark asked.

"Yes."

"What if he's right? What if I am the Uncommitted as he says?"

"Then I think it's time you commit to something,' she replied. "Even if it is only a commitment to defending your home, Kal-El. Take his 'gift' and shove it up his ass with a 'fuck you' added on to it."

"How did I know that would be your answer,' he mused, smiling for the first time.

She returned his smile and stepped closer to him.

"Because we know each other very well, Kal-El, whether you want to believe it or not,' she whispered. Her lips found his then and he could feel the passion behind her kiss.

"Lashina, no,' he said, breaking the kiss and stepping away. She gave him a very sultry look and then started to leave. She stopped at the doorway and faced him.

"I've heard you speak glowingly about the humans that raised you,' she said. "How would the human father you had react to a similar situation?"

They held each other's gaze for a moment and then she turned and walked out. As she came out of the kitchen and into the living room, Lashina saw Diana coming down the stairs. Diana stopped at the landing and looked at Lashina. The shirt she was wearing was open all the way down the front. Lashina saw the Princess had noticed this, so she slowly buttoned two of the buttons. She smiled at Diana.

"Good morning, Princess, lovely day, isn't it?"

She didn't wait for an answer and walked back into her room. Diana's eyes followed her the whole way and then turned back to the kitchen. She could hear Clark moving around in there. Diana was not happy.

* * *

Gotham

Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary stood on the edge of a twenty-story building looking down at the street below. She had a line in her hand, all set to launch herself into the air and swing across the street to the building opposite. It was something heroes did everyday, but it went against ever instinct humans had. To step off solid ground and let yourself fall into space was completely unnatural. The basic survival instinct each of us has rebells against this. Just standing on the edge felt wrong. It never got easier, no matter how many times you did it.

Taking a deep breath, Dinah calmed her nerves. She had a meeting with the Question, who had done some surveillance for Oracle. He, of course, had picked a building you couldn't just walk into for the meeting. She could have sworn she saw tin foil wrapped around the edges of the roof, but thought that was unlikely. Then again, it was the Question she was meeting.

Just as she was about to launch herself, the sound of whirling came up behind her. As she turned something grabbed her and lifted her off the rooftop.

"Don't want you to be late for your meeting, Dinah. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride,' Plastic Man said to her. "Would you care for some complimentary peanuts during your flight?"

Dinah's eyes were wide with shock and her mouth hung open, as she couldn't seem to find the words.

"No peanuts,' he asked. "How about some music? _Ah! Sweet mystery of life At last I've found thee! Ah! I know at last the secret of it all; All the longing, seeking, striving, waiting, yearning. The burning hopes, the joy and idle tears that fall! For 'tis love, and love alone, the world is seeking, And 'tis love, and love alone, that can repay! 'Tis the answer, 'tis the end and all of living! For it is love alone that rules for aye!_** "**

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dinah finally managed to say. "Would you stop singing, you imbecile!"

"Don't care for the classics, huh,' he replied. "How about a polka?"

"Put me down!"

"But we're over the middle of the street,' he said.

"Well, get to the building and put me down, then,' she grumbled. Plastic Man zipped over and set her down before transforming back into his usual self. Dinah absently noticed it was tin foil wrapped around the edge of the building, but she was too angry to give it any thought. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We're a team, Dinah,' he replied. "Now that you've admitted you like me, I'm here to help!'

"I never admitted I like you! Are you crazy? Wait, scratch that question,' she said. "Go away!"

"No one said anything about Plastic Man being here,' a voice from the shadows said. Plastic Man and Dinah turned to see the Question lurking.

"Hey, Question, how's it going, buddy,' Plastic Man enthusiastically shouted.

"How do you know I'm the Question? Who told you that," The Question asked. He seemed to nervously look around, though without a face it was really just a guess. "I was certain the tin foil would block out their scanners! Damn it, this whole operation is compromised now!"

"Um, ah, Question,' Dinah said. "We've actually met you before, remember?"

"Are you sure? Was that really me or someone pretending to be me,' he replied. "For that matter, how do I know you two are the real you?"

"I get it, wheels within wheels, very metaphysical," Plastic Man offered.

Dinah looked from one to the other unsure which was crazier.

"That's exactly what I'd expect the real Plastic Man to say, but you might have already known that,' the Question said.

"But if I knew you knew I was going to say that, wouldn't I have said something else to throw you off track,' Plastic Man countered. "Or is it all just part of a larger plan where we are both puppets for unseen masters to play with?"

Diana groaned and felt like her head was going to explode. The Question stood there, what one assumed was his face pointed at Plastic Man. Finally after a long pause; he went over and embraced him.

"Plastic Man, good to see you again!"

'You too, buddy! Good to be working on a caper with you again, A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

"Shut up, both of you,' Dinah growled. "He is not working with me and neither are you! This isn't a caper, okay? Oracle said you had some information for me, so please tell me before my head explodes!"

Plastic Man turned to the Question and whispered.

"I think she has intimacy issues."

"That would explain the break up with Green Arrow,' the Question replied. "So many heroes do, have you noticed?"

"It comes with the job, what are you going to do?"

"Shut up or so help me I'm going to start screaming,' Dinah roared. She pointed at Plastic Man. "You, get out of here and you, Question, just tell me what you found out!"

"I think she needs to get laid,' Question whispered to Plastic Man.

"I'm warning you!"

"All right, the gang has a warehouse on the edge of the waterfront,' Question began. "It's heavily guarded and they seem to be waiting for something. I couldn't find out what's inside or how many there are."

"Okay, now we're making some progress,' Dinah said in relief. "It looks like I'm going to have to try and sneak my way in and see what they're up to."

"Oh! OH! OH!" Plastic Man suddenly shouted, raising his hand and jumping up and down.

"Now what? Do you have to use the bathroom or something,' Diana asked in frustration.

"No, let me do the investigation, I'm perfect for it!"

"He has a point, Dinah," Question offered. "He could slither in and scope the place out without them knowing it."

Dinah hated admitting they had a point, but they did. Plastic Man was ideal for this sort of assignment. Reluctantly, she knew it would be the best option.

"All right, but as soon as you're done, you're leaving,' she finally said.

"She likes me, she just has a hard time admitting it in front of others,' Plastic Man whispered to the Question with a grin on his face.

"Would you stop telling people that? I don't like you, I never have!"

"Classic denial, text book,' Question whispered to Plastic Man. Dinah shook her head, and then threw up her hands.

"Let's just get this over with, please?"

* * *

Gotham Heights

Bruce and Zatanna had made the trip down in record time. She was still upset about this, accusing him of driving like a madman. He was sitting next to her in the real estate agent's car checking out the listings. He was wearing a fake black mustache and she had on a big hat and sunglasses. He glanced over, as Zatanna hadn't spoken to him in the last five minutes.

"You're not still upset about our drive down here, are you?"

She turned towards him, her eyes shooting daggers.

"Yes!"

"Aren't you being a little melodramatic? We got here safe and sound,' he offered.

"My life flashed before my eyes, Bruce and even that wasn't as fast as your driving,' she replied. "I'm still young, I want the review of my life to last a little longer next time."

"All right, I'll drive a little slower on the way back,' he said.

"No way, why don't I drive on the way back,' she countered.

"That's not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"First of all, you hardly ever drive," he said. "I don't think I've seen you drive once in all the time I've known you."

"And?"

"It's my car."

"For your information, I drive,' she said. "It's been awhile, but I've got a license."

"A real one or did you conjure up one,' he teased.

"It's a real one, smartass! The driving instructor said I was the best student he ever had."

"You flirted with him, didn't you,' Bruce asked.

"I'm friendly! Why do you make it sound like a bad thing,' she replied.

"You're still not driving my car, Zee, besides, if I have to go by Conrad, you can be a little uncomfortable on the ride,' Bruce said. "By the way, why did you tell the agent my name was Conrad, anyway? I hate the name Conrad and you know it."

Zatanna just smiled at him.

"Oh, I see, well aren't you cute,' Bruce said in a sarcastic tone.

"Shh, here comes the agent,' Zee replied. "Thank God, she's driving us."

Before Bruce could respond, the real estate agent, Nancy, opened the driver's side door and climbed in.

"All set,' Nancy asked. "I've got a complete list of homes for sale in any price range, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson."

'Grayson, Jesus,' Bruce muttered under his breath. Zatanna had a big smile on her face at this.

"I'm sorry, what was that, Mr. Grayson, 'the agent said.

"Please, just call him Conrad,' Zee offered.

"Right," Bruce said. He knew she was needling him and enjoying herself, so he wasn't above giving some of it back to her. "Just the best houses if you will, Nancy. Nothing is too good for my bride, Abby! We're newlyweds, you know?'

He gave the real estate agent a big fake smile and wrapped his arm around Zatanna, giving her a hug.

"Oh, I could tell right off, Conrad," Nancy said with smile.

"We can hardly keep our hands off each other, it's that new,' Bruce added, snuggling against Zee.

"Laying it on a little thick aren't you,' she whispered, as she wriggled out of his grasp.

"Anything for you, pumpkin,' Bruce continued. "No price is too high!"

"It will be if you call me pumpkin again,' Zee whispered to him.

"You two make such a cute couple,' Nancy the realtor said as she started the car.

"Don't we though,' Bruce cheerfully said and then kissed Zatanna. He caught her by surprise with the kiss. Her eyes opened wide as he laid one on her and then sat back with a smile. Zatanna looked at him for a moment and then just shook her head.

"God, you are such a dick sometimes."

"You bring it out in me, honey,' he replied. Zatanna was going to reply, but then something caught her eye out the side window. She turned and looked at the car they were passing and the quickly turned back to Bruce.

"Wasn't that Clark and Thor,' she whispered.

"Yes, I think it was,' he replied.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Earlier

It hadn't been the best day so far for Clark. Diana was angry with him. He knew her well enough now to notice all the signs. She didn't say anything, but as Thor continued his wooing, she didn't stop him. She would glance over at Clark every once and awhile with an accusatory look on her face. She was definitely pissed at him.

Lashina was staying to the background, letting the scene play out, but taking everything in. The one action she had taken was to put the stick Thor had given Clark directly where he could see it at all times. This was her not so subtle message to him.

As the day went on, Clark was doing a slow boil, as Thor made no attempt to hide what he was up to. The ham-handed compliments, the fawning, the kissing of her hand and touching her right in front of Clark were just too much. Clark picked up the stick and was slowly twisting it in his hands as he watched it all.

Lashina's comment about what would his human father do in a similar situation had been rattling around in Clark's brain all day. Jonathon Kent was a good and decent man, kind hearted, but he wouldn't put up with this. Clark realized he wasn't going to put up with it either. As Thor started in on another one of his tales of daring do, Clark had more than enough.

"Okay, I think it's time I went to the store,' Clark announced. "Thor? Why don't you come with me?"

"What do you need at the store,' Diana asked, finally speaking to him.

"Lumber, guy stuff,' Clark lamely replied. "You wouldn't be interested. I figure I'm going to need Thor there for the heavy lifting."

"I could go, I'm nearly as strong as you two are,' Diana offered.

"No, I really think this is something Thor and I need to do together,' Clark replied.

"Very well, Clark,' Thor voice boomed through the room. "I realize without your powers you are something of a weakling. I will help you."

He followed this in his usual back slapping way, yet Clark kept a smile on his face the whole way out of the house. Diana thought this was very curious as the door closed behind them. She turned and looked at Lashina and saw she had wicked smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling,' Diana asked.

"Clark took the stick with him,' Lashina replied. Diana didn't understand what she was talking about and looked at the front door again.

* * *

The Watchtower

Kara was sitting at a table with Courtney and Mary. She wasn't happy.

"Why did you have to tell Billy, Mary,' Kara asked again.

"He asked me where I was, so I told him,' Mary replied. "It's wrong to lie, Kara."

"No it's not!'

"What the hell, Kara,' Courtney said, looking at her.

"Okay, yes it is, but that doesn't mean you have to tell him everything,' Kara said, correcting herself. "Clark's more like my brother than my cousin, but do you think I tell him everything I do?"

"Yes,' Mary replied.

"No, no, no, no, Mary, I don't,' Kara gasped. "He'd never let me out of the house if I did!'

"So you lie to him,' Mary asked.

"Lie is such a loaded word,' Kara offered. "I prefer to think of it as being selective with information."

"What he doesn't know, can't piss him off,' Courtney clarified.

"That seems wrong," Mary said.

"Oh, really, Miss Pureheart? Did you tell Billy about our little incident with Toyman,' Kara snidely asked.

"Yes, sort of,' Mary said, even as she squirmed a bit in her chair.

"So you told him how you shouted you were going to rip Toyman's dick off, did you?"

"No, but that's different."

"That's some bullshit there,' Courtney said with a snort. The other two looked at her. "I'm working on it, okay?"

Kara rolled her eyes, but then turned her attention back to Mary.

"Look, Mary, did you have a good time the other night?"

"Yes," Mary admitted.

"So why do you have to go and ruin it by telling Billy? He's sort of dating Courtney and now he's mad at her,' Kara said.

"Actually, he's really mad at you, Kara,' Mary offered. "He thinks you're the ring leader and that Courtney just goes along with what you say."

'Fuck him,' Courtney immediately said, a little hurt by the accusation.

"How did you ever imagine you would keep your promise to Pat not to swear,' Kara asked Courtney.

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead,' Courtney admitted. "Besides, Billy's my boyfriend; he should say nicer things about me! Wait until I talk to that douchebag!"

"Are you sure you don't have Taurets?"

"Screw you too,' Courtney replied.

"Why do I even try,' Kara lamented. She turned back to Mary again. "Look, I'm not saying lie to your brother, just don't tell him everything, okay?"

"What if he asks where I was,' Mary said.

"Say you were out dancing, having fun and leave it at that!"

"Keep it vague, Courtney added. "The fewer details the better."

Mary looked at her two friends and thought about what they were saying. She didn't want to make Billy mad, but she had really enjoyed herself the other night in the clubs.

"I guess I could try,' she finally offered.

"That's the spirit, Mary,' Kara said with a smile. "Remember, Billy's probably doing the same things we are, he just doesn't tell you."

"You think," Mary asked.

"No, probably not,' Kara admitted. "He hasn't even put the moves on Courtney yet, so I kind of doubt it."

"Do you want him to put the moves on you, Courtney,' Mary asked. "If you do I could mention it to him."

"No!" Courtney gasped in horror at the thought.

"Mary, Mary, let's start from the beginning, again,' Kara groaned.

* * *

Gotham Heights – Outside the city limits

Clark pulled the car into the warehouse Oliver had provided and got out. Thor followed looking around in confusion.

"Is your eyesight poor as well, Clark? This is an empty warehouse!"

"I thought we should have a talk, Thor, just man to man as it were,' Clark replied.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, you were kind enough to come to me and tell me your plans so I thought I'd return the favor."

Thor raised himself up to his full height and smiled at Clark.

"You sound like you have something on your mind, Kryptonian?"

"I do, "Clark said, taking off his jacket and starting to roll up his sleeves.

"Out with it, man, what do you have to say for yourself,' Thor bellowed. Clark patiently took off his glasses and set them on the front seat of the car, before facing Thor. He was holding the gift Thor had given him in his hands.

"You can have this back,' Clark said and then snapped the stick in two.

"Childish, that changes nothing, Clark,' Thor replied.

"You may be right, Thor, you may be right about everything, but I don't think so,' Clark offered. "Maybe I'm the wrong man for Diana, but that's something she'll decide, not you."

"You may snap the staff in two, Clark but you are still one of the undecided,' Thor boasted. "Nothing has changed. I want her and will have her."

"No, I don't think you will, at least not in my house," Clark firmly said. "I could explain why things are more complicated then you know, but that really doesn't matter right now. I put up with a lot, maybe it's my nature, but I'm not going to put up with you another day. You're leaving, Thor."

"Am I,' Thor chuckled.

"Yes, you are,' Clark replied. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you."

"I call that bold talk for a mortal, Clark,' Thor stated.

"It's your choice."

"I'm a warrior, boy,' Thor snapped. "I was facing monsters and Gods before you were born. I choose the hard way as a warrior should!"

Clark actually smiled for the first time.

"You know, I was hoping you would."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana and Lashina were staying out of each other's way and not talking when a rumbled rattled the windows and shook the doors.

"Thunder,' Diana said out loud. Lashina smiled to herself.

"I hope he rams that stick up Thor's ass,' she whispered to herself. The house shook again, and they both had to hold on.

"Earthquake? This area isn't known for…. Oh, I see,' Diana said. A small smile came to her lips and there was an extra spring in her step as she headed into the kitchen. Lashina watched her the whole way.

"Enjoy it, Princess, he's a step closer to me now."

* * *

Gotham Heights

Bruce and Zatanna had looked at several houses and gathered quite a bit of information. It seemed Clark and Diana, along with their guests were the talk of the community. They were on their way to another house, when the saw Clark drive by.

"That was Clark and Thor wasn't with him,' Zee whispered.

"No, he wasn't," Bruce replied. A smile came to his lips, but he didn't say anything.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The front door opened and both Diana and Lashina were waiting. Clark stepped inside and glanced at them, before closing the door.

"Where's Thor,' Diana asked.

Clark pushed up his glasses and hung up his coat, before answering her.

"He left."

"Is he coming back,' Lashina asked.

"No."

Both women were smiling now.


	38. Chapter 38

Smile

"They smile to your face, all the time they want to take your place, Backstabbers"

Gotham Heights

Everyone can lie, but not everyone is good at it. Those that are good liars understand that the best lies have some truth in them. Most people get caught up in the details. They are not used to lying, so they overcompensate and give far too much information. It's those details that always trip them up.

Lashina was a very good liar and had no problem lying to Diana. With Thor gone, it wasn't a great stretch of the imagination for Lashina to realize that she could be next. If Clark could kick Thor out, then Diana could kick her out. That was the one thing Lashina wanted to avoid. She had some advantages that Thor didn't. For one she was a shameless, unrepentant liar when the need arose. Two, she had Clark on her side, but most important she knew more about the Princess than Diana probably realized.

She wasn't going to underestimate Diana, as that would be a huge mistake. Lashina knew Diana was smart, with a cunning mind and would easily see through most lies. The fact that the Princess hated Lashina also presented a challenge. On the plus side, the Princess was in a good mood. Clark was out getting dinner, so Lashina knew now was the best time to strike. She found Diana sitting out by the pool and approached her,

"May I talk to you a minute, Princess,' Lashina began.

"I've asked you how many times not to call me Princess, Lashina!"

"Of course, I'm sorry, Diana,' Lashina replied.

This caught Diana off guard. The last thing she expected from Lashina was an apology. She turned and looked at the other woman. Diana knew she was up to something, but would have to let her get to it her own way.

"All right, Lashina, have a seat," Diana said, gesturing towards the seat across from her. Lashina took it, and then paused before she began.

"We don't like each other,' she said. Might as well get the obvious out of the way right at the start.

"Yes, I know,' Diana replied. She kept her voice neutral, but she was on guard.

"I want Kal-El."

"Yes, I know that too."

"But I'm not going to get him, am I,' Lashina asked.

"That's up to him," Diana replied. In her mind she was thinking, not a chance in Tartarus, honey, but she kept this too herself. Lashina gave her a weak smile.

"I think you have more to say about it than you're admitting, but we'll let it go for now," Lashina said. "I'm not oblivious to my situation, Diana. If you say the word, I go the way of Thor. I understand power and you have all of it."

"What's your point, Lashina?"

"It's rather simple, I have nowhere else to go." She dipped her head just a bit, as if it was killing her to admit it. It was time to slip in just a bit of the knowledge she had of the Princess. "I don't imagine you know what it's like to not be able to go home. By leaving Apokolips, I forfeited any chance of ever returning."

Diana's mind flashed on her own banishment, but she was still on guard around Lashina. Diana understood that Lashina was smarter than Thor. She wouldn't come at you head on as he had. She was much more the viper rather than the bull.

"Are you trying to say you regret your decisions,' Diana asked.

"No."

"We both know, Lashina, you didn't leave for a second chance, well not the kind you told Kal anyway. You admitted under the lasso that you are really here for him. I believe your exact words were something to the effect of, you'd rather see him with nobody than with me."

"I'm not denying it,' Lashina offered. "I don't like you and I never have."

Diana was about to respond, but Lashina held up her hand.

"Please, let me finish,' she asked. "You already know everything I said under your lasso is true. What you don't know is why. He's the only being I know that would give me a second chance. I have no one else."

Diana actually believed her on this. The only reason the League was willing to help her was because of Kal. It was the reason Diana was allowing her to stay.

"That may be the case, Lashina, but it really changes nothing, does it?"

"I'm not a fool, Diana,' Lashina replied. "Need I point out he fought for you, not me. Thor's absence attests to where his heart lies."

Diana had to suppress a smile at this. It might be primitive and barbaric, but she found she liked the idea that Kal would fight for her. Sometimes actions do speak louder than words. She couldn't let it distract her though, as Lashina was still very dangerous.

"So you're giving up? Is that what you want me to believe,' Diana asked.

"I know you're not a fool, either, Diana,' Lashina responded. "No, of course not, but my situation forces me to accept certain realities. Kal-El would kick me out if you gave the word. I'm simply asking you not to."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't,' Diana said.

"Because I'm asking you not to, please,' Lashina replied. The words were like acid in her throat, but she knew words have an impact. Diana was all the things Lashina despised, good hearted, kind, generous and caring. As much as the Princess might hate her, Lashina knew she was not a bully. Diana wouldn't take advantage of another when they were down. By framing the conversation the way she had, Lashina was taking a risk and betting on the fact.

Diana wasn't sure what to think. Almost every fiber of her being was telling her this woman was pure evil and not to be trusted. If the tables were turned, she wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of the situation. The problem was that many of the things Lashina said had a ring of truth to them. Diana understood Lashina's situation was different that Thor's. He was probably back in Asgard by now, turning the story around so he was the generous one that decided to leave. Kicking Lashina out wouldn't solve the problem of what to do with her. She supposedly couldn't go back to Apokolips. The one person worse than Lashina was Darkseid. The Dark Lord tolerated none of his subjects acting on their own. Freedom was a word he despised. Jail was the best place for her, but barring that, no one wanted her wandering around Earth on her own.

While wisdom was one of the gifts her Gods had given Diana, they had also endowed her with compassion. Wisdom reminded her of the old adage, keep you friends close, but your enemies closer. If Lashina was going to try anything, Diana wanted to be there when she did. Compassion was something Diana shared with Kal. She might not offer it as freely as he did, but it was part of the core of her being just like him. If Lashina really was telling the truth, which Diana didn't believe, then she had to give her a chance.

"All right, Lashina, you can stay, for now,' Diana finally said.

"Thank you," Lashina replied and then stood up.

"One wrong move, Lashina and that fight you promised me will happen much sooner than you intended,' Diana warned.

"I understand,' Lashina said. "I will not promise you that my interest in Kal-El will cease. You wouldn't believe that if I did. One doesn't forget a physical relationship like we had, ever. His actions, though, have spoken where his words haven't as to where his heart lies.'

Lashina turned and walked into the house. Diana watched her the whole way. She didn't see the smile on Lashina's face, for it was a cold, wicked smile.

* * *

Later

It had been a quiet evening and Clark was already in bed. His 'discussion' with Thor had been rather strenuous and after the last few, long days, he was looking forward to a good night's sleep. The lamp on the nightstand was on and he was doing a little reading before finally turning in. The door to the bathroom opened and Diana stepped out.

She was smiling at him. He'd noticed she'd been smiling at him most of the night. It was certainly a change from this morning where she hadn't even looked at him for the most part. He gave her a look as she went around the bed and climbed in her side. She didn't say anything, so he went back to reading. This proved more difficult than he would have imagined, as he could feel her looking at him. Finally he put the book down and turned to her.

"You seem in a good mood this evening,' he offered.

"I am,' she replied with a smile.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it,' he said, not sure what else to say. He gave her a smile and then slipped down in the bed and pulled up the covers. He was just about to turn off the light, when she reached out and stopped him. In one fluid move, she was sitting on his stomach, smiling at him.

"Don't you want to know why I'm in a good mood, Kal,' Diana asked.

"Okay, um, why are you in a good mood?"

"Because you fought for me,' she replied, beaming at the thought.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. You fought for me, Kal. Don't try and deny it, Kal, I know Thor bothered you," Diana said. "Your little guy trip with him was your way of kicking him out, wasn't it?"

"Maybe."

"You were jealous, admit it,' Diana said, shifting her upper body closer to his.

"I wouldn't say jealous, exactly,' he teased.

"You were, just admit it."

"Okay, maybe I was,' he finally said. "He's also kind of a jackass, so that didn't help either."

Diana's lips were barely inches from his now. She was happy and feeling a little playful. She shifted against his body watching his face the whole time. When he closed his eyes and gave a slight groan, she smiled even more.

"You were jealous,' she whispered. "You don't like other men flirting with you wife, do you?"

When he didn't answer right away, she moved sensually against him, bringing another groan from his lips.

"No, I don't like other men flirting with you, satisfied,' he finally admitted. Whenever she was this close, he always had a hard time concentrating on anything else. Clark had never experienced anything like it before. Diana literally overwhelmed his senses. She shifted against him one more time and it was almost too much.

"So now you're going to torture me? Is that you plan,' he asked.

"Yes."

"Why do I have the feeling you're not exactly angry about Thor leaving?"

"He's a good man,' she started, but he interrupted her.

"God."

"Whatever, Kal,' she said, giving him a light smack on his shoulder. "I know what he was trying to do, but I wasn't really interested."

"You certainly acted like it this morning."

"I wasn't happy about you being alone with her,' Diana replied. "Her being half naked didn't help, either."

"Nothing happened, we just talked,' he quickly replied. "I suppose you're going to want her to leave as well, aren't you? I can't exactly argue with you, if you do."

"No, I decided she could stay, for now,' Diana said.

"Um, thank you,' he replied, a little surprised by this. "Just so you know, you have every right to kick her out if you wanted to. I'm glad you didn't, but I would understand."

"I don't want to talk about Lashina, Kal,' Diana said, moving down to kiss him. "Let's concentrate on the two people in this room."

"You are so going to get me in trouble,' he whispered, just as their lips met. She smiled, but didn't reply, just continued kissing him.

* * *

The Pool House

Lashina moved out to the pool house once Thor vacated it. She stood at the door wearing only the shirt and glanced up at the bedroom window. There was a rather cruel looking dagger in her hand and a wicked smile on her face.

"Very soon, Princess, very soon,' she said in a cold whisper.


	39. Chapter 39

200 something

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." - Ernest Hemingway

Lashina

The damage is done without a blow thrown, simply by asking questions.

"Will you give up who you are for her?"

"What happens when the two weeks are over, Princess?"

"Can you be Superman all the time?"

"If you love him, can you really ask him to give up his private life?"

"Does Clark Kent really fit in her world?"

"This is fun for a month, but can you see yourself living like this from now on, Princess?"

"If you do make the sacrifice, Clark, don't you run the risk of overshadowing her? You are Superman, after all."

"What happens to you mission, Princess, when all anyone wants to talk about is Superman and Wonder Woman?"

"If you really love her, can you watch her message get lost in the feeding frenzy?'

"Have your priorities changed completely in just over two weeks, Princess? Isn't you first loyalty always your people and Gods?"

"She's having fun now, Clark, but would you ask her to play the loving housewife in the suburbs when this is over? Could you ask her to waste her talents like that if you really love her?"

"If he gives up being Clark Kent for you, Princess, wouldn't that mean he would be cut off from his family and friends forever? Well, humans live such short lives anyway, it probably wouldn't matter in a few years."

* * *

Bruce

He sits in front of his computer. On the screen are the images of five women and at the center was the bat symbol. Diana, Zatanna, Dinah, Selina and Talia's faces stared back at him. His eyes are always drawn to the bat symbol. Everyone, even him, talk about his mission, but that's really the wrong word. Obsession is the right word. The true driving force of his life is being Batman. It is his first love. Batman is his temptress, his burden, his passion and his curse.

He has lost other loves, but the day he loses being Batman will be the end of him. He might linger on afterwards, but the spark that makes him who he is will be gone. Others might pick up the mantle of the Batman, but he has never been one to live vicariously through others.

Glancing at the women's faces, he feels a pull towards each of them, some stronger than others, but none as strong as the symbol. Lately the woman's face on his mind hasn't been Diana's. This bet has brought him two surprises. There is the real possibility that he's already lost her. The second surprise is he's not sure how he feels about it. He wonders if her interest was just infatuation. Has he lost his chance because real love has finally come along for her?

The other faces on the screen bring mixed emotions, some from the past, some from the present and some from the future. His eyes drift back to the symbol. Batman is the constant and he's not sure there is room for any other love. His heart though, is being pulled in another direction that his head hasn't realized.

* * *

Jenny

Another ceremony is over and the others are upstairs enjoying a potluck. Jenny lingers in the sanctuary. She's a little high, as is the norm lately. Many say that drugs alter your view of the world, make you see it in new and different ways. What they don't say is not all those ways are pleasant or worthwhile. Jenny has started to question her life. Being an amateur Satan worshipper is the most daring thing she's done. It's the only thing daring she's done in her whole life.

She's twenty-eight and thirty seems just around the corner. She's always played by the rules and did the sensible thing. In high school she thought she would love to study French literature and poetry of the ninetieth century, but her guidance counselor and parents had talked her into taking accounting as a much more sensible field. In college when all her friends went to spring break, she didn't. After graduation she thought of traveling around Europe for a year, but didn't because everyone told her it wasn't practical.

She'd gotten married to Carl, a good man that ran a dry cleaner. They moved to a lovely house in the suburbs because everyone told them how dangerous the city was. Safe, sensible, practical, these were the words that seemed to define her life. She thought she was happy. It only took one side step in life to make her realize she wasn't. She'd never taken a risk at anything. Even her marriage was to a nice, safe man, a responsible man and good provider.

The problem with having this new perspective is that once you do, you can't go back. Every time you do the safe thing, you feel your life slipping away from you. You see your future as one of those people that always say things like 'if only I had it to do over again, I'd… fill in the blank'.

Someone called her name from upstairs. Jenny turned to go, but stopped and looked at the altar once again. The doors of perception had been opened in her mind and she wasn't sure if she could close them again.

* * *

Dinah

There was a cool breeze blowing through Gotham tonight. As she moved through the streets and alleyways, she felt alive. She knew others were worried about her, but they didn't understand. This wasn't a job anymore it was a calling. How do you explain to someone when you find that spot, that place where you fit? How did she explain that despite the break up with Ollie, she was as happy as she could remember being? It wasn't that she didn't care for him, because she still did. She just couldn't be that person anymore.

It was as if she had been a cheerleader when they met her and they expected her to be a cheerleader forever. There's nothing sadder than someone still reliving his or her glory days of high school, long after they are over. We all go through phases in our life. We grow and change, becoming different people. Hopefully, we're lucky enough to find something we're good at and want to do. A job is something you do for a paycheck. A career is something you like and get paid for. A calling is finding something you have to do. The money or benefits no longer matter, as once your realize your calling you don't want to do anything else.

Van Gogh never sold a painting in his life. Spinoza extraordinary work in philosophy got him shunned by his own Jewish community, censored by the Catholic Church and his books burned by Dutch Protestants. Both men never altered their course once they found their calling. Today Van Gogh is considered a master, while Spinoza's work is considered some of the most revolutionary thinking of the modern age. They couldn't tell you why they did what they did only they had to.

As Dinah weaved in and out of traffic, she knew she couldn't explain what she was doing to the others, only that she had to. There was a smile on her face as she thought about the rest of the night.

* * *

Diana

Living in Gotham Heights was turning out to be a wonderful experience for her. It was also a complete surprise. She had started this with one set of goals and half way through found she had a completely different set. She felt like she was learning so much, so fast. Many thought she was innocent, but she believed it wasn't innocence as much as a lack of experience. Emotions she hadn't dealt with seemed to pop up at every turn. Jealous, desire, lust, to name just a few had her reeling at times, yet she didn't shy away from them. It seemed a whole new world was just opening up for her and Diana welcomed it and wanted it to continue.

It was going to end, though.

Less then two weeks were left in the bet. As much as she wanted to live in the moment, Diana couldn't help but think about the future. Questions seemed to plague her. She knew now that her feelings were real. She was in love with Kal. Diana thought she understood what love was before, but this was a different kind. It was romantic, passionate, stormy and emotional.

Diana was learning things about herself. She found it intoxicating how much she could affect Kal. To feel the first full burst of her sexuality was heady stuff. The way she seemed to affect him, he did to her as well. Diana wasn't used to wanting someone. It seemed to throw her emotional state completely off. She found herself thinking about sex, specifically with him all the time. The thoughts seemed to get more intense and graphic the longer she was around him. She was having a hard time keeping her hands off of him. While she knew about his promise to her mother and respected him for keeping it, she didn't want to wait.

Diana felt like she had the flirting down and was eager to move to the next level. Lashina's questions were like a bucket of cold water on this line of thinking. Diana knew what Lashina was trying to do, but that didn't make some of the questions any less valid. This was a unique situation for both of them. As much as Diana didn't want it to end, she knew it had to.

How would Kal fit into her world?

Her first responsibility was to her sisters and her Gods. It was the reason she'd been selected and sent out to the Man's World. Her role as Ambassador was important and vital. She couldn't just give that up and play house in the suburbs forever.

Diana also understood that Clark Kent was a huge part of who he was. If she needed any reminder of this, she only had to think about their day at the farm in Smallville. She would never ask him to give that up for her.

The other question was how could she fit into his world?

The thought of wearing some disguise as he did had occurred to her. That wasn't very appealing, but it might be functional for a while. The idea of the two of them always pretending to be the meek wallflower couple so they could be together seemed wrong to her. Part of her hated watching him at the theater, bumbling and stumbling while the crowd laughed. She wanted to be able to claim him as her man and have the entire world see them together. He seemed to be telling her that it wasn't possible as long as he was Clark Kent and she was Princess Diana of Themyscira.

This love was such a new emotion to her; it shouldn't be this hard, she thought. Diana realized until she found a solution, she couldn't really be with him. Part of her was actually afraid if they made love she would never want to let him go, damn the consequences. That sort of passion and desire was frightening, yet she felt it growing every day.

* * *

Clark

He was beginning to understand Lashina better. Her completely selfish desires seemed to echo inside him. He wanted Diana. It was almost an ache deep inside of him that had always been there. Loneliness was no stranger to him. Finding Kara had been a miracle, as it eased part of the loneliness, but not all of it. She was family and he loved her with all his heart, but his soul cried out for another kind of love.

He thought he might have finally found it in Diana.

Lashina's questions mirrored his own. She was a clever woman, he had to give her that. To hear someone else voice the questions made them all too real. He didn't have any answers for her or himself. If anything he had more questions Lashina hadn't even thought of. Bruce was his friend and even if Diana wasn't interested in him now, Clark felt the honorable thing would be to talk to Bruce before he did anything. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation. To everyone else, Bruce seemed like a man in complete control, yet Clark had always thought of him as fragile. Not in the physical sense, but the emotional.

If Bruce was in love with Diana and Clark thought he might be, he might never recover from losing her. He hid his scars well, but they were still there. Bruce had submerged himself so far into Batman that he kept closing off any avenue for someone to get in. Clark knew it was that basic fear of losing someone else he loved that was behind it for Bruce. Since the beginning of this bet, Clark had been wondering if Bruce and Diana really knew everything they were putting on the line. This could end so badly for all of them.

There was also the issue of Lashina. Clark's feelings towards her were different than the ones he had for Diana. She was selfish, greedy and manipulative, yet he wanted to believe she could change. The time they had spent together on Apokolips had been all the things she said it was, passionate, intense and tumultuous. He had seen another side of her though; one she probably didn't even realize she'd shown him. Lashina could be sweet, loving, loyal and caring when she let her guard down. He thought perhaps that was why they seemed connected, because he was the only man she had ever let see her that way.

As he sat on the front porch watching the neighborhood children play, Clark wondering if any of those living around him dealt with these kind of issues. All those pretty houses in a row, all alike, yet there were probably problems unique to each of them. Sitting there, Clark realized he had to make some decisions.

Clark liked to think of himself as the calm, cool one that could see the whole picture, but this situation was different. If this went wrong, Bruce Wayne might disappear forever. That would always taint any chance at happiness for Clark with Diana.


	40. Chapter 40

Crossroads

"Regrets I've had a few…"

Gotham Heights

Once day slips into another into another. Vigilance is hard to maintain and you relax. It's only natural to let your guard down a bit, it's only human.

Lashina smiled as she walked along the sidewalk taking in the well-manicured lawns and copycat houses. She could feel the looks of the neighbors, the men especially. The rather brief shorts and tight top she had on showed off her spectacular figure to full advantage. She was in a good mood, a very good mood.

She'd been playing by their rules, but could tell there was just a creeping doubt in both Diana and Clark. She knew they both had been waiting for her to attack, but she disappointed them. Why attack when they let her in their house to poison it? By the end of their bet they would both have doubts and that's when she would make her move. She had no doubts about what she wanted and didn't care about the rest. Part of her thought she would even live in this dreary place as long as she got Clark.

These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of children. Lashina suddenly found herself surrounded by four girls and a young boy.

"You're Mr. Kent's old wife, aren't you," Sally asked.

"First wife,' Lashina corrected the small girl.

"You're not as pretty as Mrs. Kent is,' Tommy added. He was holding a small dog on a leash and it was wrapping itself around him in its excitement.

"Don't pay any attention to him, that's Tommy, he's my baby brother,' Sally said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm Sally we live down there. These are my friends, Britney, Ashley and Tiffany."

"Good for you,' Lashina said, stepping around the kids and trying to move on. She had never been what you would call a fan of children. She followed the axiom; children should not be seen or heard. As she was getting around them, one of the girls held up her balloon to Lashina's face.

"How do you like my balloon?"

"I don't,' Lashina replied and then popped it. The little girl began to cry and this brought a smile to Lashina's face.

"You're mean,' Sally shouted.

"Yes, I am, not move along."

"I see why Mr. Kent dumped you for the new Mrs. Kent. She's nice!"

Lashina turned and stared down at the girl. Young Sally gulped as she felt the full weight of Lashina's cold, menacing gaze.

"Boo!"

Sally screamed and ran, her young girl friends racing along with her. Lashina turned and started walking again. She nearly tripped as Tommy's small dog wrapped itself around her legs.

"That's Buster, he likes you," Tommy laughed.

"He looks delicious,' Lashina replied, picking up the dog by the scruff of the neck and holding it out to Tommy. He grabbed the pup and raced away, glancing back over his shoulder in terror. Lashina smiled, yes, she could live here for a while, she thought.

* * *

Asgard

Dusk brought Balder to the tavern, as it did so many. He could hear the shouts and laughter that promised a pleasant evening, filled with friends and drinks. As he opened the door, he stopped and watched as Thor was telling a story.

"So there I was, frustrated by these two and knew it was up to me to fix it,' Thor continued. "Kal-El, a good man for a mortal, needed a gentle nudge. Being a friend and seeing how the Princess looked at him, I decided to make the sacrifice for love. I went down and made a halfhearted play for her, so he would realize his true feelings. I even allowed him to challenge me to a fight, can you imagine?"

The assembled crowd laughed heartily at this notion.

"I pretended to let him win, instead of bringing the full force of the God of Thunder down upon him. It was difficult losing, as he really wasn't that much of a challenge to me, but I pull it off for love, my friends! So now, raise you glasses and join me in a toast to Love!"

Cheers went up and everyone drank. Thor slapped backs as he moved through the crowd, as always talking just a little too loud. Balder caught his eye and slowly he made his way over to him.

"Friend Balder, good to see you,' Thor said in a tone lower than his usual.

"And you, Thor,' Balder replied. "Quite the tale you were spinning for the crowd."

"Oh, that, well, you know, they wanted a story,' Thor offered.

"And you certainly gave them one,' Balder said with a smile. "Although, you know I seem to remember the details of that particular story differently. Our bet had a different outcome in mind, didn't it? Oh, I'm glad to see the bruises have healed."

Balder smiled wide at Thor. The Thunder God didn't seem to know what to say for a moment, then leaned into his friend and whispered.

"If you wished to get paid for that wager, Balder, I would suggest you keep those details to yourself."

Balder laughed at this.

"Why don't you buy me a drink? You know how that helps me forget,' he offered.

Thor smiled and shouted for two meads.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark had slept later than usual. He had a hard time getting to sleep the night before. The woman of the house, Diana being the chief reason, as she seemed to enjoy her newfound power to torture him just a little too much. Well there are worse thing, he thought with a smile. He had just finished up a swim, after agreeing it would be okay for Lashina to get out of the house and walk around. He did make her promise not to kill or hurt anyone. She agreed, so the house was quiet as he dried off and walked inside.

Diana was standing there smiling as he entered.

"Good morning,' she said and then kissed him. It was a smoldering, passionate kiss. For someone still new at it, she was remarkably good. The same problem that he kept him from sleeping reappeared. When the kiss finally ended he took a step back to catch his breath.

"Good morning,' he managed to say. "You really like torturing me, don't you?"

"Are you saying you don't like it," she asked, a playful smile on her lips.

"No, but-but it's really not fair,' he offered. "I mean what if I started kissing and feeling you up all the time?"

Diana blushed at this, but also smile.

"Are you offering?"

"Scratch that question,' Clark quickly replied. "Diana, let's sit down and talk. Just talk, okay?"

"About what,' she asked.

"Us."

"Okay."

They moved over the couch and sat down. The memory of their last conversation on the couch was still fresh in his mind, so he moved to one of the chairs opposite it.

"I thought you wanted to talk,' Diana asked.

"I do, it's just easier when I'm not so close to you,' Clark replied. "You have no idea what effect you have on me."

"Tell me, I'd be interested in hearing about that,' she said.

"Not-Not right now."

"So what do you want to talk about,' Diana asked, leaning back and adjusting her robe. The lower part slipped open and showed quite a bit of leg. Clark couldn't help noticing this, and had to remind himself what he wanted to say. Shaking his head, he shifted his focus away from her legs to her eyes. She was still smiling, so he knew she had noticed him looking at her legs. He'd been thinking about what he wanted to say for the last couple of days.

"I would like to take you on a date, Diana,' he began.

She gave him a confused look.

"We're married and you want to start dating? Isn't that sort of backwards, Kal?"

"Diana, you know our marriage is over in less than two weeks,' he replied. "I was talking about afterwards."

"Afterwards."

"Yes, I'm attracted to you, very, very much, Diana,' he tentatively said. "More than attracted to you, but I want to do it right. If you're willing, I'd like to ask you Mother permission to, what's the word you use? Oh, right, I'd like to ask her permission to court you."

"You could just ask her to make the marriage permanent, Kal,' Diana replied. "It would save us a lot of time. We could move on to the honeymoon right away."

Clark actually groaned at the thought. It was a wonderful thought, but he wanted to do this the right way. A honeymoon with Diana did sound pretty fantastic though he had to admit. He glanced over at her and some rather carnal thoughts instantly came to mind. No, down boy, he told himself, stick to the plan.

"A date, Diana, let's start with a date."

"I would have thought you'd be anxious to make love with me, Kal,' Diana observed. She gave him a teasing smile, knowing perfectly well how much she affected him. She had never realized how much fun it could be to torture a man like this. She especially liked doing it to him.

"You have a cruel streak, Princess,' he replied. "And don't get up to hit me, you can do it later."

"I'll remember that."

"I have no doubt about that,' he said. "Diana, this is going to be over in less than two weeks. It's easy right now, living here like this, but I'm worried it's not going to be so easy once we're back in the world."

"You mean because of your secret identity,' she asked.

"That's part of it, yeah,' he admitted. "I think we can both agree this isn't what we thought was going to happen when this bet started."

"That's true."

"It seems like every thing has happen in a whirlwind, Diana,' he continued. "The bet, then the marriage, Lois breaking up with me, your feelings changing towards Bruce, our feelings for each other, all of it happening in such a short time."

"So what,' Diana asked. "Are you saying when this ends you want to go back to how we were, is that it, Kal? I don't think I can do that."

"I don't think I can either, Diana."

"Then what?"

"I have doubts, Diana,' he admitted. His voice was very low, almost a whisper.

"Oh."

This caught her off guard. Diana suddenly wondered if his doubts were about them.

"Not about my feelings towards you, Diana, not that,' he quickly added. "I just wonder how it's going to work for us once we're back out there. It's so simple here, living together, but I doubt it will be out there."

"I know, Kal,' she confessed. "I've thought about it too."

"So you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes, Bruce's two worlds,' she said with a nod. "Only this time it's our worlds. How do we fit into each others?"

"Yes."

"I would never ask you to give up being who you are, Kal,' Diana explained. "I know how important being Clark Kent is to you."

"Thank you, Diana,' he said with a smile. "I also would never ask you to stop being who you are. Your mission is important, just as your representing your people is. It's who you are and I don't want you to have to change for us to be together."

"Thank you, I have been thinking about this a lot lately too,' she replied. He gave her a look. "I didn't say it was the only thing I've been thinking about, Kal. Would you like to know what I've been thinking about the most?"

Diana flashed him a playful smile.

"I think I might be able to guess," he teased back.

"You've been thinking about it too, haven't you," she asked.

"Hard not too,' he offered. "Although, that's probably not the best choice of words."

"It seems very accurate from where I'm sitting," she teased. Clark crossed his legs at this and Diana couldn't help laughing.

"Could we talk about something else, please,' he asked. It took her a moment to stop laughing, but she did want to discuss this further.

"As I said, it's one of the things I've been thinking about,' she began. 'This whole notion of two worlds has bothered me since the first time I heard Bruce mention it. Why must we fit into one world or another? I understand it is what is traditionally done, but why must we be tied to tradition? We are not ordinary people, Kal. This bet has shown me that while I still believe Bruce was wrong about us being able to blend in, why do we have to always blend in?"

"What's the alternative?"

"Why can't there be a third way,' she asked. "Why is it, Bruce always talked about me fitting into his Gotham world, or you thinking I have to fit into your Metropolis world? The same goes for either of you fitting into my world? Why can't we make a world that is just ours?"

"I guess I never thought about t that way,' he admitted. "I was raised to think a couple gets married and settles down together in one place. I guess I always thought that was the way it was done."

"That was good for Jonathan and Martha Kent, Kal, but we're not them,' Diana replied. "I'm not trying to run them down, I hope you understand that, but we have options they could never consider. I would like to live with you, but why does it have to be either or? Metropolis and the Embassy are important places in our lives, but they are not the only places. There's a whole world out there within seconds for us. You can still be Clark Kent and I can still be Princess Diana, Ambassador, but when we're together, why can't we just be Kal and Diana?"

'Wow, you really have thought about this," he managed to say. Diana had just _shift_ed the _paradigm_ completely on him. He had always approached a relationship with women he'd dated as any other man would. Diana was suggesting that instead of blending in, getting married and settling down like all other couples, they could have it another way. She was offering him something he'd never considered. He didn't have to be Clark Kent or Superman, but just himself.

"The rules would be the same, Kal, we just change the situation,' she said.

"The rules?"

"No flirting or sleeping with other women and you call if you're going to be late."

He laughed at this and smiled at her.

"So you really are a traditional girl at heart, huh?"

"Yes,' Diana replied. "Also your four foot rule no longer applies."

"I don't know, Diana, that could be a deal breaker,' he joked.

"Marriage is about compromise, Kal," Diana said with a satisfied grin.

"Let's just start with a date, Diana."

"Wouldn't you prefer to move it along a little faster, Kal,' she asked, leaning forward. Her robe slipped a little further apart and Diana gave him a tempting smile.

"You are just evil sometimes,' he groaned. There was one other thing he wanted to discuss. "Bruce, Diana, I'd like to speak with him before we do anything."

'Why?"

"I'm kind of a traditional guy," Clark explained. "This bet started because you two had feelings for each other. I know you've said yours have changed, but I don't know what his are."

"Join the club,' Diana snidely replied.

"He's our friend, Diana,' Clark continued. "If you and I are to be together, I want him to learn about it from us. I know no one believes this, but I worry that he might be emotionally fragile."

"He's _not fragile_, Kal, he's _single minded_,' Diana offered.

"Perhaps fragile is the wrong word,' he replied. "Tragic might be a better one. I see him pulling away from anyone that gets close to him and it worries me. Batman was born in tragedy and part of me worries the more Bruce becomes Batman that it won't end well for him. If he has feelings for you and I believe he does, I don't want him to hear about us from someone else."

"I understand, do you want me to come with you,' Diana asked.

"No, that's okay, I think I want to do this man to man. I've known Bruce longer than anyone, so I want him to hear it from me,' Clark said.

"If you think that's best."

"I do,' he said with a nod. Clark sat back and looked at her for a moment. "So we're agreed, a date?"

"If we have to, all right,' Diana replied. "Do you want to shake on it or?'

She gave him a devastating smile.

"I guess we could kiss, if you want,' he replied, with a smile.

"I want."

Diana was over the table and in his arms a moment later. Neither of them noticed the figure looking through the patio doors at them.

* * *

Gotham – The Waterfront

Dinah, Plastic Man and the Question stood on a rooftop overlooking the warehouse where the motorcycle gang was hold up. As reluctant as she was to admit it, Dinah knew Plastic Man had been invaluable in checking the place out.

"I love the smell of the waterfront in the morning,' Plastic Man announced. "It reminds me of…of."

"Sewage,' Question offered.

"I was going to say victory, but now that you mention it, yes,' Plastic Man replied. "I've spent some time in sewers recently so I'm kind of an expert and this place stinks!"

"It's all part of big business's plan,' Question informed him. "Make it stink to high heaven, people can't take it and sell. Big business swoops in and buys up the land for pennies on the dollar."

"The little guy gets screwed again,' Plastic Man lamented.

"If the little guy only knew the half of it,' Question replied. 'You don't even want to know about the fluoride in the water."

Dinah took a deep breath and closed her eyes to gather herself.

"Could we skip Art Bell time and focus on the job at hand, please?"

"I think Art Bell retired, it's George Noory now," Plastic Man offered.

"Did Art Bell really retire,' The Question asked. "Or is that what they want you to believe?"

"Oh, I never considered that, interesting."

"Enough,' Dinah shouted. "Let's go over the rules one more time, okay?"

"You're in charge and we don't do anything until you do,' Question stated.

"And,' Dinah said, turning to Plastic Man.

"Because we're working together doesn't mean you like me," he repeated.

"Good, I'm glad we have that straight."

"You do like me a littler more than before though, don't you?"

"I'd say a lot more,' Question commented. "You two are a team, aren't you?"

"Yes,' Plastic Man said.

"No," Dinah said. "This is temporary, just because he did the recon, that's all. Now before you two piss me off, let's roll!"

She fired a line across the space to the warehouse and launched herself off the building.

"A-ring-a-ding-ding!"

Plastic Man scooped up the Question and the two of them glided over as he turned into a helicopter. Dinah didn't stop when she landed, but moved over to the vent and pried it loose. She disappeared into it, followed by Plastic Man and the Question.

They were in the shadows on a catwalk at the top of the building. It was just as Plastic Man had said it was. There had to be thirty gang members unloading weapons from a truck, but Dinah's eyes immediately went to just one. Ramon, the gang leader that had torched the women's shelter was supervising the operation.

"That one's mine,' she whispered, pointing her finger. With the grace of an acrobat, she flipped off the catwalk gaining speed as she descended. Two guards with the heaviest weapons took the brunt of the impact. The warehouse exploded with shouts and gunfire. Plastic Man turned himself into a large slide, which the Question rode down to take out two more.

Dinah used the cover of the trucks and the gang members to shield herself from the bullets, while always moving towards Ramon. He saw her coming and began firing his automatic weapon at her. She didn't stop and kept coming.

The Question jumped onto one of the biker's bikes and roared into the firing crowd. He launched the bike at them and it exploded in midair in a hail of bullets. This was all the cover he needed, shifting in and out of the shadows and trucks, picking off one gang member after another.

Plastic Man had a different, but no less effective approach. He turned himself into a huge tennis racket and began swatting gang members.

"Serve and volley!" He shouted as he wacked one of the gang. "Fifteen-Love!"

The Question pulled the machine gun from one of the gang members' hands and gave it a quick once over. "Knock offs, it figures, can't even buy American anymore! The Bilderbergs work, no doubt! All part of the One World Order!"

"Thirty-Love! Forty-Love!"

"Shoot that bitch, you idiots,' Ramon roared, slapping another clip into his gun. "Kill her friends too!"

"See? Even the bad guys see that you like me,' Plastic Man shouted happily to Dinah. "Love game for me! In more ways than one!"

"We are not friends,' Dinah snarled, but never took her focus off Ramon. She somersaulted over the two-gang members in front of him, taking them out with a swinging kick as she landed and then rolling to avoid Ramon's fire. Her hand came up and twisted the weapon from his grasp and she followed it with a roundhouse right to his jaw.

He fell back, but kicked out at her knees, taking her down as well. Scrambling to take advantage of this, he jumped on top of Dinah and began swinging his fists at her head and body. She managed to block most of his blows, but he got a few shots in. Twisting her lower body around, she wrapped her leg around his neck and hammered him back onto the cement floor. He continued to fight, but the tide was already against him. Dinah moved like a precious machine, stopping everything he tried and countering it to devastating effect.

Bloody, battered and beaten, Dinah slammed Ramon against the crates. He somehow managed to smile at her.

"Go head, you win,' he said though a mouth of blood. "Arrest me. I'll get out again and this time it won't just be her eye, I'll finish that squealing bitch."

The rage was overwhelming Dinah, she slashed her finger up and plucked out Ramon's left eye. He screamed in pain.

"An eye for an eye, Ramon, I'm old school,' she whispered to him. She drew back her fist to finish him, but Plastic Man suddenly appeared next to Dinah and stopped her.

"It's over, he's lost, Dinah,' he said. She looked at him and there was none of the usual craziness in his face. He lifted his glasses so they were eye to eye. "We're the good guys, remember? You're better than him."

Dinah looked at Plastic Man for a moment and then released Ramon. He slumped to the floor, crying and holding his empty eye socket.

* * *

Gotham- Wayne Manor

Bruce was sitting having breakfast, Eggs Benedict, while scanning the morning papers and checking his laptop. The door opened and Alfred stepped inside.

"You have a visitor, Master Bruce."

Thinking it was the usual person that interrupted his breakfast, Bruce groaned.

"Why don't you just move in, Zatanna, you're here all the time anyway."

Clark stepped into the room and looked at Alfred.

"Something going on, I should know about,' he asked the older man.

"I stopped speculating years ago, Master Kent,' Alfred replied.

"Clark?"

"Yeah, Bruce, sorry I'm not Zee,' he replied with a smile. "So you're going to let her move in, huh?"

"Don't be funny,' Bruce snapped. "It's just she acts like she owns the place. So what are you doing here?"

Alfred had quietly exited and closed the doors behind him.

"I was hoping we could talk, Bruce,' Clark said, as he took the offered chair.

"About what?"

"Diana,' Clark replied.

"What about her? Aren't things going so well in the suburbs?"

"No, just the opposite,' Clark admitted. He bowed his head, a little uneasy about this, but knowing it was something that had to be done.

"You fell for her,' Bruce said in the most matter of fact way. Clark looked up in surprise. He should have known, he realized, very little escaped Bruce's attention.

"Yes, I have."

"Why tell me?"

"Because I know you have feelings for her too."

Bruce started to protest, but Clark waved him off.

"Don't deny it, Bruce, I've known you too long,' Clark said. "You would never have gotten into this bet if you didn't feel something for her. I've also seen the way you look at her."

Bruce seemed to consider his words for a moment before replying.

"Yes, I do have feelings for Diana, Clark, but.." His attention was suddenly drawn to the computer screen, as an alert went off.

"What is it,' Clark asked.

"Something's wrong in Gotham Heights,' Bruce said. He turned to Clark. "Lashina."

"Diana, " Clark gasped. He quickly pulled out his communicator. "Watchtower! Jonn! Emergency! Beam me to the house in Gotham Heights immediately!"

"Beam both of us, Jonn,' Bruce quickly added.

"Understood,' Jonn's voice replied and the transport began.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana was in a wonderful mood. Her conversation and make out session with Kal earlier had cleared the air. The future looked so bright to her. She understood his need to talk to Bruce, but she knew it wasn't going to change anything. She hoped Bruce wasn't hurt with all her heart, but that same heart belonged to someone else now. Kal.

With the morning free, Diana decided to take a relaxing swim in the pool. Lashina hadn't returned yet, so she had the whole place to herself. Changing into her swimsuit, Diana went out the patio doors and set her towel down on the chair. Back home she swam almost everyday growing up and as she dove into the pool the warm water reminded her how much she missed it. She floated for a while and then started to swim some laps. Diana was a natural in the water.

As she reached the pool house end, Diana executed a flip turn and headed back towards the other end. She didn't see Lashina step out from the pool house. Lashina was in full battle garb and there was a cold, menacing look on her face. With a flick of her wrist, one of her whips came out and she slashed it across the water and Diana's back. The electrical charge was magnified a hundred times by the water. Diana screamed as the pain overwhelmed her. She barely managed to turn and see Lashina launched herself, knife in hand. Somehow Diana managed to raise her wrist and deflect the first blow, but it still made contact brutally with her shoulder. Lashina gave her no time to recuperate. Her next blow slipped passed her defenses and the dagger plunged into Diana's chest. She gasped her eyes open in shock. Lashina twisted the knife and then pulled it out. Blood gushed from Diana's wound, the pool turning red all around her. Lashina raised the dagger again for the killing blow.

"I told I would never let you have him, he's mine!"


	41. Chapter 41

Responsibility

"Blood in the Water"

Gotham Heights

With each weakened beat of her heart, blood surged from Diana's wound. The surprise attack by Lashina had her reeling. As the dagger started down for the killing blow, all those years of training automatically kicked in. Diana's hand somehow came up and caught Lashina's wrist, stopping the dagger. Lashina growled in frustration, but pressed her advantage. Her powerful fingers dug into Diana's throat and pushed her under the water, holding her down.

It had happened so fast that in Diana's already weakened state, she couldn't react fast enough to inhale before she was submerged. The need for air screamed through her mind. Her eyes went wild as the primal fear of drowning kicked in and she thrashed about. Still she held Lashina's blade at bay.

"Die."

Lashina was a trained warrior as well; only her training was as a killer. Her attack was perfect, from stunning Diana with the electrical charge to the first wound. Her dagger's aim was true, straight to the heart. Moment by moment, Diana's blood lose shifted the balance of power in Lashina's favor. The poison tipped blade continued to move closer to Diana's throat, as Lashina held her under. The Amazon is already dead, Lashina thought, knowing the poison was already spreading through her system. Still she wanted Diana to see only her as her life slipped away.

"Tell them in the afterlife, Princess, that it was Lashina that sent you."

Some of her precious air escaped Diana's lungs, the bubbles bursting up through the blood tinged water. Dimly she realized she'd been poisoned, as a burning sensation spread through her muscles. Still she fought on, even as her life seemed to be slipping away. Images seemed to flash through her mind, Themyscira, her Mother's gentle smile, playfully wrestling with Donna as children, lifting off the ground in flight for the first time, on and on until the image of Kal kissing her came. That image stopped and then like a film caught in a projector seemed to burn and darken until there was only blackness. Love and death intertwined as her life slipped away.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The voice wasn't human, shaking the ground like some elemental force. In the next moment, Lashina found herself tossed away like a ragdoll. Bruce and Clark had arrived. Bruce scanned the scene; his eyes looked in horror at the blood filled pool. Before he could take a step, Clark was at Diana's side. No, Bruce thought, this wasn't Clark, this was Kal-El, an adult Kryptonian in all his power. His voice was like that of an angry God rattling the very foundation of the world. He moved with such speed the eye couldn't follow. Lashina, a New God was cast away like a leaf in the wind. When she tried to recover, to attack again, twin beams of fire engulfed her blasting her through the backyard fence.

Bruce rushed to the side of the pool and dove in. Clark was cradling Diana in his arms as he turned to Bruce.

"Oh God, Bruce, she's barely breathing!"

As he helped get her from the blood red water, Bruce looked at his friend again. This was Clark, all too human, almost lost in panic over Diana's condition. It suddenly hit Bruce that Clark was in love with Diana. He hadn't even realized it until this moment. Pushing that shattering thought away, he went into action, signaling the Tower of a medical emergency.

The few moments it took to transport them up, seemed like an eternity to Clark. Tears came to his eyes as he gazed down at Diana's lifeless body.

"Please, no, not now, not now, stay with me, Diana, stay with me. I love you so much and I was too afraid to tell you. Stay with me, Diana, I love you,' Clark frantically whispered to her, kissing her cold forehead as he cradle her in his arms.

The tingle of the transporter started and then they disappeared. Bruce was about to follow, but there was still Lashina to think about. That was quickly solved by the sound of a boom tube opening. He rushed over just as she disappeared. Signaling Jonn, he transported up to the Tower.

* * *

The Watchtower

You never truly know about an organization or a business until it faces a crisis. In extreme situations the truth always has a way of coming out. The Justice League was made up of a motley band of very different individuals. At times they could be as goofy, childish, funny, silly, just as anyone else, but in a crisis they transformed into heroes. From the moment the news of the attack came in they had snapped into action. Those with medical training were already waiting for her. Those without medical training offered to help in anyway they could. Nothing was too small or trivial for any member if it would help.

It was one of their own in trouble. No sacrifice was too big or too small to help her. That it was Diana sent a ripple of fear through the entire station. She was part of the trinity and in many ways the most admired. Many of the younger female members had always looked to her as a mentor or role model. The way she carried herself in even the short time she'd been out in the world seemed to be an example to everyone. In some ways she was the Princess, royalty, not just on Themyscira, but on the Watchtower as well.

As Clark materialized on the platform, Wally was standing waiting. A man that was all business replaced the boyish, fun loving Wally that everyone knew.

"I can get her there faster,' he said simply. He didn't need to say anything else and Clark shifted her limp body into his arms. He was gone in the next moment, followed by Clark. Bruce materialized a second later and stepped down from the platform.

"She's in the infirmary,' Jonn said. "I sensed nothing from her."

"She's in bad shape, Jonn,' Bruce replied. "Lashina did her work well."

"I have confidence in her."

"Just the same, you should contact her mother,' Bruce said in a grim voice as he hurried out of the room.

* * *

Infirmary

The corridors were cleared and the doors held open as Wally raced Diana to the infirmary. Dr. Light, The Atom, Dr. Midnight, Dr. Fate, Hourman and any other member that had medical training were waiting. They were all visibly shaken when they saw Diana. Her skin was pale, her body limp and lifeless. Clark stood hovering over her, holding her hand in his.

"We need to get started, Superman,' Ray Palmer said. "We'll let you know as soon as possible."

"I'm not leaving her,' Clark stated.

"You can't stay,' Dr. Light said. "Please, it's urgent."

"I'm not leaving her,' he repeated.

"Clark, let them do what they do best,' Bruce said, placing his hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at Bruce, tears in his eyes.

"I can't leave her like this, Bruce, I just can't."

"We can wait right outside, you'll be able to see everything."

"Come on, Big Blue, it's for the best,' Wally added. Clark knew they were right, but he didn't want to let go of her. He finally leaned down and kissed her, whispering so low only she could hear.

"I love you, Princess, you can't leave me now that I've finally found you."

He moved back hesitantly, unwilling to leave yet knowing he had to, for her. He barely felt Bruce and Wally put their arms around him and usher him from the room. The others were already moving into action.

* * *

The Watchtower – Hallway

Fear and Anxiety

Clark sat alone on a bench just outside the room. It had been over an hour since they started. It felt like an eternity to him. Others had tried to offer sympathy, but seemed to understand at one look that he wanted to be alone.

He felt completely and utterly helpless. The grip of fear seemed to close in all around him. This was his fault. He had been the one that wanted to give Lashina second chance. Diana was paying for that mistake. If he lived a thousand years, he would never get the image of her limp, lifeless body out of his mind. Silence tears rolled down his cheeks, as he held his head in his hands. Clark felt like he was collapsing in on himself, pain lancing through his heart and his world spinning out of control.

Once the awful thought that she might not make it flashed through his mind, he couldn't push it away. He repeated over and over to himself that she was stronger than this; she would make it, yet that horrible thought remained. He had watched helplessly, as Jonathon Kent died before his eyes. He loved him dearly, but this felt different. That was a child's love of a parent, while this was a man's love for a woman.

Only he'd never told her until he held her in his arms in the pool. Fresh tears came as he realized what a coward he'd been this whole time. He'd been afraid to say it, even once to her. It just made it worse that he'd known he was in love with her for some time now. One excuse after another seemed to stifle the words on his lips. Now there was a chance she would never know, never hear him say what he desperately wanted to say to her.

He glanced up, using his x-ray vision to see, but had to turn away. It sickened him to see her like that, cut open, blood everywhere.

I'm sorry, Diana, I love you, but this is my fault.

* * *

The Watchtower – Computer Lab

The door slid open and Zatanna walked in. She knew he would be here.

"I just heard the news, how is she doing,' she asked.

"Too soon to tell,' Bruce replied, not looking up from the terminal.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to make sure Lashina is really gone. I'm scanning for her signature over the entire globe."

Zatanna came up and stood next to him. She glanced at the screen but was more worried about him.

"Anything, 'she asked.

"No."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

His voice was clipped and lacking in emotion.

"I know you care for her, Bruce,' Zatanna began, but he cut her off with a simple statement of fact.

"He's in love with her."

"What?"

"Clark, he's in love with Diana."

"How do you know,' she asked.

Bruce finally turned away from the monitor and looked at Zee. For a moment the calm, cool exterior slipped.

"I saw it in his eyes, Zee,' he said so low it was almost a whisper. "The way he held her, everything just screamed that he was in love with her."

"Oh." She found was the only word she could say.

"I'm guessing, she's in love with him, too."

"I'm sorry, Bruce,' Zatanna offered, putting her hand on his shoulder. He gave her a rare, sad smile and put his hand on hers.

"No, it's for the best," he offered.

"Don't,' Zatanna replied. "Don't pretend it doesn't hurt, not with me, Bruce. I know you have feelings for Diana."

"Yes, I do, but not the kind of feelings I saw from Clark, Zee,' he said.

"What do you mean?"

"It was a shock seeing him like that, but I've had time to think about it,' Bruce began. "There is an attraction between Diana and I, I admit, but it never really went further than that. Some flirting, a kiss, but never anything more."

"That's because you never let it,' she replied. "Maybe it would have been more if you'd let her in."

"Maybe,' he admitted. "Somehow I think it would have ended badly if we had. Perhaps I always knew I wasn't the one for her."

Zatanna hugged him and Bruce found himself returning it.

"I'm sorry, Bruce."

"Don't be, what matters now is that she recovers, that's the most important thing."

"What do you mean,' Zee asked. She leaned back to look at him, but didn't take her arms from around his neck. "Of course she's going to make it. She's Wonder Woman, she has to."

"I thought that too until I saw her today,' he replied, the pain evident in his voice. "There was so much blood, Zee. I don't know how anyone could survive that or fight Lashina off like Diana was doing. I hope I'm wrong, I desperately hope that, but I can't get that image of all the blood out of my mind."

"She'll make it, Bruce, she just has to,' Zee whispered, hugging him again.

* * *

The Watchtower – Cafeteria

Dinah was sitting alone in the back nursing a cup of coffee. Her thoughts were split. Part of her was worried about Diana but another part was still unsettled about what had happened to her earlier.

"How you holding up?"

She had been so lost in her own thoughts; she hadn't heard Ollie come in.

"I'm all right,' she offered.

"Are you sure,' he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, I'm worried about Diana, but I know she'll pull through."

"I hope so too,' he said. "I wasn't talking about her, though. Question told me about what happened with you earlier."

"What? That Plastic Man, of all people, had to stop me from killing that guy?"

"Would you have killed him,' Ollie asked.

Dinah started to answer automatically no, but then stopped.

"I don't know,' she finally admitted, not just to him but to herself.

"That's not good, Di."

"Please, Ollie, not a lecture, not now,' she said.

"Not a lecture, Dinah, just a reminder,' he replied. "And this isn't personal, so don't think its sour grapes. I think I understand now what you've been trying to tell me, I do. It's heady stuff to finally find your place, where you fit and what you want to do. I just want to warn you to be careful, okay? As dedicated as Bruce is, there's a line he never crosses. He knows if you cross that line once, you're no better than those you are supposed to be fighting."

"You think I almost crossed that line today,' she asked.

"Don't you?"

"Yeah,' she admitted. "I've been sitting here thinking about it. I wanted to kill him, I really did, Ollie. He's scum and the world wouldn't miss him, but I know I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."

"Then it's a good thing someone stopped you,' he offered.

"Yeah, I suppose, but why did it have to be Plastic Man?"

He laughed at this and she blushed and then joined him.

"We all have our crosses to bare, I guess he's yours,' Ollie said. "Why don't we go see how Diana's doing?"

"Okay,' Dinah replied. As they both stood up, she reached out and stopped him. "Thanks, Ollie, I appreciate it."

"We're still friends, Dinah, that's never going to change."

* * *

The Watchtower – Monitor Room

Jonn stood at the controls as Queen Hippolyta and General Phillipus beamed in. Fear and worry were plain on their faces.

"Where is she,' Hippolyta immediately said. "Where is my daughter?"

"She's still in surgery, your Majesty,' Jonn replied.

"I have to see her, please,' Hippolyta asked.

"Of course."

"Tell me what happened and how my daughter is doing,' Hippolyta said as they headed out the door.

* * *

The Watchtower

It had been almost three hours since Clark had brought Diana in. At first everyone tried to go about their business, but as the time dragged on they slowly drifted to the hallway outside the infirmary. It just felt like the place to be. Some offered silent prayers for her, while others quietly chatted, too nervous to remain quiet. They all gave Clark his space, somehow knowing there was nothing they could say to him that would make this better.

He was so lost in his own thoughts; he didn't even hear Kara come rushing over to him until she was in his arms.

"I got here as soon as I could,' she gasped, hugging him so hard it would have crushed anyone else. "I didn't want to believe it was real. It can't be."

"I wish it wasn't,' he barely managed to say, holding her close.

"I'll kill that Lashina for this, I promise,' Kara whispered, anger boiling inside her.

"It's my fault, Kara."

'No, no, it's not, Clark," Kara replied.

"I'm the one that brought Lashina to the house,' he whispered. "I was so stupid and naïve. Diana suffered because of my decision."

"She'll be already, Clark, you'll see,' Kara tried to her best to reassure him, even as tears started to roll down her face. She already knew from the sound of his voice how bad it must be. A tremor of fear went through her at the very thought.

A commotion made her turn to see Queen Hippolyta striding towards the infirmary. She stepped inside and moved over to the glass that separated her from her Diana. Hippolyta's breath caught in her throat as she saw her daughter on the operating table. Her child, her moon and stars, looked so pale, so lifeless. It was every mother's nightmare that something would happen to her child and Hippolyta was no different.

In the moment, she wasn't Queen or Amazon she was just a mother. That was her baby, her child that she had held in her arms and poured all the love in her heart into lying there. This was worse than a nightmare, such an unspeakable horror to see. She can't die; I will not allow it, Hippolyta thought. I must do something, save her somehow. The Healing Island is where she should be, Epione will know how to save my baby.

The other thought that came to her mind brought with it an almost all consuming anger. Someone was responsible for this happening. Someone had done this to her child. Diana had been living in those quant suburbs, how could this happen there? Hippolyta turned to the General, her mind made up.

"Phillipus contact Epione and tell her we are bringing Diana. Let her know the situation is grave and all her skills will be needed."

"My Queen, perhaps it would be wiser to allow the Princess to remain here,' the General suggested.

"You heard the Martian, General, while they have stopped the bleeding, poison eats away at her still. We will transport her directly to the Healing Island where she will get the preeminent treatment by those that know her best."

Phillipus could see there as no arguing with the Queen and finally bowed and exited the room. Hippolyta turned back to the window and felt a tear roll down her face as the sight of her daughter. She wiped it away and steeled herself. Turning she walked back into the hallway and looked at the gathered heroes.

"You say Lashina did this to my daughter,' Hippolyta demanded of Jonn.

"Yes."

"Why was a wild dog from Apokolips allow to get this close to her?"

No one seemed to know what to say to this and then Clark stood up.

"I'm responsible for Lashina being there, your Majesty,' he said. "I take full responsibility for what has happened, no one else."

Hippolyta stood facing him, shocked by his statement. Part of her could see the anguish he was in, but another part saw only the one responsible for her daughter's condition. This later part slapped his face.

"I believed you cared for her, yet you let this happen." Her voice was choked with emotion. "I'm taking her from the place back to where she will be safe with those that truly love her!"

The Queen glared at him for a moment and then spun on her heel and stormed away. Clark just stood there, he had no fight in him. Dimly he was aware of Kara hugging him, but all he could see was the look of betrayal in Hippolyta's eyes.


	42. Chapter 42

The Waiting

"A House is not a Home"

Gotham Heights

Two interminable days had passed. Clark went back to the house after the Watchtower, because he didn't know where else to go. It was just a house now. Diana had made it a home.

It was easy to forget that Clark was still a young man.

Superman was such an overwhelming figure that even some of those closest to him forgot this basic fact.

Young men make mistakes. It's how they become older, wiser men. Some mistakes are made out of ignorance, some out of hubris, some out of thoughtlessness and some are made because they want to believe.

It's a universal fact of life, that when you're young, you think you have it all figured out and all the answers. Hopefully, years and experiences teach you otherwise. It's why your parents seemed to get smarter the older you get.

Most of the mistakes you make when you're young are correctable, but some are not. It's why a news story about a murder being committed by someone young is really a double tragedy. One life is gone forever, while another is damaged in a way that can never be fixed.

Clark was desperate that his mistake wasn't the uncorrectable kind. The only news from Themyscira was that Diana was still alive, but unconscious. No visitors were allowed.

All there was to do was wait.

He cleaned the pool. He wished he could so easily wipe away the memory of the crime that had happened in it. He fixed the fence and did his best to answer the neighbors' questions when they approached him on the street.

Diana was away; business, was all he told them. They seemed to accept this, but a few took a longer look at him. He wondered if they thought she had abandoned him, run off with someone else. What would they think if he told them the truth? The woman they thought was his first wife had brutally attacked the woman they thought was his second wife and nearly killed her. The image of trying to explain to the police that his first wife was actually Lashina, a New God and Fury from Apokolips and that his second wife was really, Princess Diana or better known as Wonder Woman. He probably wouldn't even get to the part about him being Superman before they locked him away.

There had been a crime committed, though. Lashina had attempted to murder Diana. He was an unwitting accomplice in this, by allowing Lashina in the house in the first place. Clark felt so stupid and naïve. Everyone had told him Lashina was no good and could never change. Even Diana's opinion had been blunt on this point.

Why was I so stubborn, he thought? I know Lashina better than anyone, yet I wanted to believe she could change. Was it as simple as wanting to believe something good could come out of the nightmare that was my time on Apokolips, he wondered?

Clark had been haunted by it. The way Darkseid had used him, twisted and warped who he was; it was such a personal violation. Clark had been a victim, yet the damage he'd caused had created so many victims, he could never make the claim that he was one too. He'd never spoken about that time with anyone. They accepted that he was brainwashed and left it at that. While it was certainly true he was brainwashed, the memories of that time were still crystal clear in his mind.

Clark hadn't just killed during that time; he'd willingly and eagerly killed. In some ways it was like burning insects under a magnifying glass. The inhabitants of the planets he conquered for Darkseid thought their defenses would protect them. Clark had effortlessly proven how wrong they had been. That darkness was a part of him, he now knew. In the despair over all that he had done, Clark had tried to find one thing that hadn't been pure evil and cruelty.

Lashina.

The relationship he had with her was the thing he finally thought of. It wasn't love, he knew that now, but it hadn't been about cruelty, either. Unlike everything else on Apokolips, it wasn't the strong forcing the weak, but two people willingly giving themselves to the other. He later realized he was probably the first man that had given her the choice of being with him without threats.

It was a moment of kindness in the middle of a living nightmare. He clung to the thought that at least one thing wasn't evil and cruel about that time. It was the real reason behind his insistence on giving her a chance. He thought if she could change than something good had come out of it.

He now knew that nothing good comes from Apokolips. Hers was the final betrayal that sealed the verdict on that time of his life. It was a mistake that could never be undone. Now he desperately hoped his desire for something good out of that time, hadn't caused another mistake that could never be undone.

If the Queen forbid him from seeing Diana or Diana herself wanted nothing to do with him ever again, he would gladly endure it as long as she survive. His hopes and dreams of the future had been narrowed to that one thing, Diana's life. Everything else was secondary to her surviving

So he waited in the house that was not a home.

* * *

The Watchtower

A somber mood hung over everyone. Their thoughts were for Diana's welfare. Sadness and anger seemed to be the two strongest emotions. Sadness for what had happened and anger that it had. The ends of the Earth were scoured in a hunt for Lashina, but she seemed to have disappeared. Most assumed she had returned to Apokolips like a dog returning to its master.

As the first day turned into the second and then into the third, the unmistakable possibility that Diana might not recover began to find it's way into the heroes' minds. No one wanted to voice it, but they could see it in each other's eyes. It was a look of almost bewildered shock, as if they had never thought it possible. The more mortal of the members had lived each day with the possibility that it might be their last, but Wonder Woman was different.

Where even Superman had Kryptonite, Diana seemed to have no weaknesses. She was an immortal, a Demi-Goddess, a being above such Earthly problems. It's such a shattering experience to have what you accepted as a truth pulled out from under you. The thought that Diana could be struck down by an assassin wielding a simple knife made no sense.

In this climate, heroes seemed to keep filtering back to the station, hanging out long after their shifts ended. It somehow seemed like the place to be, while they waited for any news.

The world went on and missions were taken; yet always one thought was hanging over all of them.

Wally, Plastic Man and Mari were sitting in the cafeteria. They had coffee in front of them, but it went untouched. Their shifts had ended hours ago.

"It's too quiet,' Mari whispered.

"Well, everyone's thinking about, well, you know,' Wally replied.

"Did I mention that Dinah likes me now,' Plastic Man offered.

"Not now, Plasty,' Wally said.

"Yeah, no jokes, not now,' Mari added.

"I know, I wouldn't,' Plastic Man said, seemingly taken aback that they thought he would. "I'm not that crazy. I just thought we could talk about something else instead of what everyone's not talking about."

"Sorry,' Wally replied. "But I don't think Dinah likes you now, buddy."

"She's said she doesn't on more than one occasions,' Mari said.

'I also told you she was coming around, remember?"

"But you're crazy, aren't you,' Mari asked.

"Like a henhouse,' Plastic Man offered with a smile.

Mari and Wally looked at each other, but neither got that.

"Okay, just for the sake of conversation, why do you think she's coming around to liking you,' Wally asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Again, Wally and Mari looked at each other. She shrugged her shoulders still having no clue.

"Um, no?"

"We went on a mission together,' Plastic Man explained. "We kicked some biker ass together! You don't have bonding experiences like that with someone you don't like."

"Wasn't the Question there, too,' Wally pointed out.

"Yes, but I don't know how she feels about him,' Plastic Man replied. "I just know we were together, in the trenches. Ipso Fungo, she likes me!"

"Ipso Fungo? What does that even mean,' Mari asked.

"Tell her, Wally."

"I don't know either."

"It means she likes me,' Plastic Man confidently replied. As this was going on, Shayera came into the cafeteria. She got a cup of coffee and walked over to the table.

"Mari, Plastic Man, do you mind if I join you?"

"Hi, Shayera,' Wally offered, but she didn't even look at him.

"Sure, have a seat,' Mari answered. Shayera sat down, across from Wally but still didn't look at him.

"Now see that's what it looks like when a woman doesn't like you, buddy,' Plastic Man whispered to Wally.

"Are you still mad at me, Shayera? I said I was sorry."

"Mari, would you tell him, if I were talking to him, I would say yes, I'm still mad at him,' Shayera replied.

"Wally, if Shayera were talking to you," Mari began, but Wally waved her off.

"I heard," he groaned. "Mari would you tell her that I'm sorry, but that I did have a good time with her."

"Shayera, Wally's sorry, but he did have a good time with you,' Mari repeated.

"Tell me, it seemed like he was having a good time hitting on other women while we were on a date!"

"Wally, Shayera said… oh, this is stupid,' Mari said. "If you two are going to fight, at least fight without me in the middle."

Shayera finally looked at Wally, but didn't say anything.

"I screwed up, Shayera, I didn't know it was that kind of date,' Wally offered. "I had a great time with you though. I was hoping, if things work out, you know with Diana, that you might like to do it again this weekend? Constantine is still in town and so is Zee."

"Let me think about it,' Shayera finally relented.

"See? Ipso Fungo, she likes you,' Plastic Man proudly said.

"Ipso what,' Shayera asked. She looked at Mari and Wally, but they both shook their heads and shrugged. Jonn was walking by and caught Mari's eye.

"Jonn, any news?"

"Nothing new, she still hasn't awoke,' he replied.

"Okay, thanks, let us know if anything changes,' Mari said. The somber mood came back to all of them and they just sat there, heads down.

* * *

Metropolis – Suicide Slums

When Granny Goodness first made contact with Intergang, she had been thinking ahead. She didn't trust anyone, especially humans, so she set up a series of safe houses for herself that would be undetectable to anyone, even Superman. There locations were highly guarded secrets, but one person knew about all of them, Lashina. She was currently residing in one of the most secure safe houses.

She hadn't gone back to Apokolips, as that would mean facing Lord Darkseid. He had little tolerance for independent actions, in fact, none at all from his subordinates. Lashina knew her one chance was to be able to tell the Dark Lord that she had wounded Superman. Wonder Woman's death might get her a stay of execution. The only problem was Lashina wasn't certain the Princess was dead. So here she remained, waiting for some sign that she was no more.

Kal-El had showed up before she had been able to make sure the Princess was dead. Lashina thought briefly of fighting him, but there was another with him and she knew more would be coming. Escape was the logical thing to do. Besides, Lashina knew if she fought him, she would have to kill him too and that wasn't something she wanted. Hurt him, punish him, yes, but never kill him. In all the worlds, he was the one man she would never kill.

In Lashina's admittedly twisted mind, he represented something different than anything she knew from her world. Growing up on Apokolips an attractive girl learns early how to fight. She also learns that she is subject to the whims of those more powerful than she is. Rape almost isn't the right word for what happens on Apokolips, as everyone is raped in one way or another.

Lashina had watched others in the orphanage shipped off to the brothels or worse, and vowed that would never happen to her. She was forced to give herself to some of the elite when she was young, but once she was old enough that stopped.

Kal-El had been different. He was more powerful that just about anyone, perhaps as powerful as Darkseid himself, yet he hadn't taken what he wanted. He had asked and Lashina could see for the first time in her life that he was a man willing to accept no for an answer. This was such a foreign, alien idea, that someone would ask her to be with them without threats or violence. She found herself drawn to him. When they had sex it wasn't the brutal, forced kind she had experienced, but gentle. He awakened passions she hadn't known she possessed.

Kindness she had always associated with weakness, yet not with him. He touched her heart, something she had locked away a long time ago. The emotions he stirred within her were previously unknown and she hungered for more. Then he rebelled against Darkseid and was gone. He should have been her mortal enemy, yet she found in her heart that had been locked away all those years, she couldn't hate him.

The idea of him with anyone else was equally intolerable to her. It seemed like such a cruel twist of fate that it was the one woman she hated most that he would fall for. Wonder Woman, the very name churned the bile in her stomach. Everything about her Lashina despised. The thought that she might steal Kal-El away from her was too much. The Princess had to die.

He's mine, Lashina thought. In the twisted logic she had learned on Apokolips killing the Princess would bring him back to her. It was the lesson of Granny's orphanage. Lashina had learned that helpless feeling of being beaten and having no way to stop it. She in turn watched as those previously beaten now turned around and beat the new arrivals even harder. It was a never-ending story that repeated again and again. Those that are tortured one day become the torturers.

Lashina had punished Kal-El by taking the Princess away from him. In the logic of the orphanage, this would harden his heart. The darkness that began with her death would grow and he would turn away from this world and then Lashina would be waiting.

The one flaw to her plan was his kindness. It was what drew her to him, yet to have him again she would have to force him to lose it. It was a Catch-22 that she couldn't seem to find an answer for. To have what she wanted, she had to destroy the very thing that made her want it in the first place. As she took another drink, doubts came to Lashina's mind. Doubt was weakness she reminded herself. Pushing them away, she focused on the one thing she was certain about, the Princess must die.

* * *

Themyscira – The Healing Island

Queen Hippolyta had been at her daughter's side the whole time, refusing to leave. The parliament, her subjects, everything could wait as long as her daughter's life was in jeopardy. She had lived three thousand years, but the single perfect moment of her life was the first time she held Diana in her arms. My child, my baby, she remembered joyously thinking. This was a love as old as time, a mother for her daughter.

From that day forward, Hippolyta had seen the world anew, through her daughter's eyes. Watching her grow had filled the Queen with unimaginable joy. While she loved all her Amazon sisters, Diana was special she was her daughter.

Now her daughter hung between life and death, every moment of it agony for Hippolyta. Sorrow, worry, anger, they all swirled around inside of her. She sat at Diana's side, as the poison burned its way through her system. Epione had told the Queen that while the ray had healed her wounds and the herbs would assist her, it was up the Princess' system to fight off the poison.

Hippolyta spent her time, wiping a cool cloth across Diana's burning forehead, while whispering constantly to her. They were words of encouragement, of love, anything that came to the Queen's mind that would help her daughter fight through this.

In other moments, late at night, Hippolyta was angry. The wild dog, Lashina that had done this would pay with her life. Every time Hippolyta looked at the pale, beautiful face of her daughter, her anger would grow. If Diana dies, Lashina will wish for death's release before I am done with her, Hippolyta silently promised. But that was too horrible to imagine, Diana had to survive, she just had to.

* * *

It was during these wee hours of the morning, that sleep finally overtook Hippolyta. A gentle hand on her shoulder brought her out of her slumber.

"My Queen."

"What is it, Phillipus? She hasn't,' Hippolyta said and then frantically looked at Diana.

"No, Hippolyta, there has been no change,' Phillipus replied. "Epione believes this is a good sign."

"I pray it is."

"You need to rest, you've been here for days now,' the General offered.

"No, I can't leave, Phillipus, not until she recovers,' Hippolyta forcefully said.

"Please, I will make sure you are summoned if there is any change."

"No."

The General had known her Queen far to long. The look in Hippolyta's eyes told Phillipus that there would be no argument she could offer that would move her from the spot she was in.

"Then I guess I will have to wait with you, my Queen,' Phillipus finally said and pulled up a stool next to Hippolyta. They sat there in silence for a long time. Hippolyta would wipe the sweat from Diana's fevered brow every few minutes.

"She's strong, Hippolyta, she'll make it,' Phillipus finally offered. "She's also stubborn like her mother, so I'm positive she won't allow this to stop her."

Hippolyta smiled. This wasn't Queen and General, but two very old friends.

"I can't imagine how empty my life would have been without her, Phillipus,' Hippolyta admitted.

"I have faith in the Princess, she will survive."

"May the Gods and Goddesses hear your worlds,' Hippolyta replied.

The sat there a while longer, but Diana remained eerily still. The General had been turning something else over in her mind and finally broached the subject.

"You know she's in love with him.' Phillipus ventured, knowing this was a touchy subject.

"Yes."

The thought of Superman brought back some of her anger at him. Hippolyta realized she had been lucky she hadn't broken her hand when she slapped him, but her sense of betrayal was so great she couldn't stop herself.

"I think he loves her too.'

"He has a strange way of showing it,' Hippolyta fired back. "He brings that woman into their house and allowed this to happen!"

"I admit I was puzzled by this as well,' Phillipus replied. "When I spoke to the Martian to update them on her condition I asked him why."

"What did he say?"

"Something about second chances,' Phillipus said. "It seemed rather naïve to me, but I got the feeling that Diana understood this about him."

"His second chance is the reason Diana's lying here right now,' Hippolyta stated.

"Lashina is the reason she is here, Hippolyta," Phillipus replied. "I saw the look in his eyes, he cherishes Diana. I still believe he is a good man."

"A good man who's naïve can cause just as much damage as an evil one, Phillipus,' Hippolyta responded. "Your good man allowed this to happen."

"And what if when the Princess recovers, she wished to return to him?"

"I will forbid it! She is staying here on Themyscira from now on!"

Phillipus chuckled softly and the Queen turned with a glare.

"What?"

"I believe we had this argument once before when Diana first went out into the Man's world,' Phillipus replied. "I doubt it will have a different outcome this time."

Hippolyta looked over at her daughter and a small smile came to her lips.

"No, I suppose you are right, she is so headstrong,' Hippolyta said. "And before you say it, yes, I know where she gets it from."

"An admirable quality in both, I would say,' Phillipus offered.

"So you're the diplomat now, are you?"

"Hardly,' Phillipus replied. "I just know my Queen and Princess very well. She wasn't in love with him, yet she was willing to marry him rather than give in. Do you imagine that now that she is in love with him, she would do any different?"

"So what would you advise?"

"I don't know,' Phillipus admitted. "I am like you and would wish to keep her here, safe, but I think that time is over. Diana is a grown woman and has started to forge a life for herself. As much as we wish to protect her, I don't think she'll let us anymore."

Hippolyta seemed to ponder the General's words for several moments. Again she wiped Diana's sweat soaked brow.

"Those are questions we can discuss at a later date, Phillipus. Right now my only concern is for her survival."

"As is mine, my Queen."

* * *

The morning light peaked over the horizon and fell across the slumbering forms of Hippolyta and Phillipus. The Queen slowly sat up, blinking her eyes against the sun's rays and looked at her daughter. It seemed her fever had broke. A smile came to Hippolyta's face as she lightly ran her hand over Diana's forehead, brushing a few matted curls to the side. Phillipus stirred and looked at Diana and Hippolyta.

"Any change?"

"The fever has broke."

Epione came into the room, carrying a tray of herbs and potions.

"Now there's two of you underfoot,' she said.

Before they could respond, the sound of a soft groan caught everyone's attention. They glanced down to see Diana's eyelids flutter open.

"Mother,' she weakly said.

"Yes, I'm here, Diana,' Hippolyta replied. Tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned over and fiercely hugged her daughter.


	43. Chapter 43

Pressure Drop

"Here, There and Everywhere"

Themyscira

Diana sat on the side of the bed clutching the sheet, feeling rather weak, sticky and sweaty. Epione and her assistants moved all around her, checking her vitals and making her drink more of the restorative liquid. She drearily answered their question, but was really thinking about a shower, washing her matted limp hair and scrapping the several layers of film that seemed to be coating her tongue. The odd thought they were all a bit of too close talkers flashed across her mind, but she didn't dwell on it. Mostly she was thinking of a shower and sleeping.

It was her mother that came to her rescue.

"I believe she needs more rest, don't you, Epione?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Shower,' Diana managed to say, even though her throat was so dry. "I'd like a shower first, please."

"Perhaps you should brush your teeth, as well,' Hippolyta offered, noticing her daughter's breath wasn't exactly fresh at the moment.

"Thank you, mother,' Diana said rather sourly.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one that noticed, Diana,' Hippolyta teased. She was overjoyed at Diana's recovery and felt a little giddy.

"You are a little ripe, Princess,' Phillipus offered, getting in on the teasing. Hippolyta, Epione and her assistants chuckled at this. Diana gave her mentor a foul look, but didn't comment.

"Yes, I think we can arrange a shower,' Epione offered, nodding to her assistants. They immediately went off to prepare the shower for Diana.

"It's not that bad, I was stabbed and poisoned you know,' Diana muttered in justification. The way she felt wasn't putting her in the best mood, nor was the fact that everyone else seemed to be.

'We know and thank the Gods you are all right, daughter,' Hippolyta said. "We are just happy you have recovered."

Diana looked at her mother and saw the genuine concern in her eyes. Her mood softened a bit, as once more Hippolyta hugged her.

"Thank you,' Diana whispered in Hippolyta's ear.

Epione was on the verge of tears as she watched this, as were her assistants. Before they all broke down, General Phillipus decided to lighten the mood.

"I think I should point out that the Princess isn't the only one that bathing would be advisable for,' she said, eyeing the Queen. Hippolyta turned and looked at the General.

"Excuse me?"

"I just thought I'd point out you have been here the whole time as well,' Phillipus calming said.

"I would point out I am still your Queen, General,' Hippolyta replied. She stared hard at her friend, as she heard the giggles from Epione and her assistants.

"Of course and I am still you adviser, my Queen,' Phillipus offered. "The words 'freshening up" seem to be the best advice at the moment."

Before Hippolyta could reply, Diana spoke up.

"You stayed here the whole time?"

Hippolyta turned back to Diana and her face softened.

"Where else would I be?"

Diana smiled at this and dipped her head just a bit. She reached out and hugged her mother fiercely as tears came to her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome,' Hippolyta whispered in return. Now she was on the verge of tears when they finally separated. She smiled and ran her fingers over Diana's cheek.

"I guess we should both remove ourselves before we offend anyone else,' she said, glancing at the General. Turning back to Diana, Hippolyta stared into her eyes. "We well talk later."

"I will inform your friends that you have recovered, Princess,' Phillipus said as she got up to leave.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark knew if he kept dwelling on Diana's condition he would go crazy. He tried to keep himself busy, cleaning up the house and yard, but there really wasn't much to do. That was a byproduct of living with someone as neat as Diana. He thought about work, but doubted Perry would want to read 100,000-word screed on guilt and remorse. Clark wasn't even sure he wanted to read it. With nothing else left to do accept wait he dropped down on the sofa with the book Diana had been reading,

He still didn't remember when or from whom he got it, but it must have made an impression on him as he'd kept it all this time. Of course he kept his baseball glove too, so that really didn't mean anything. Clark flipped open the book towards the back and started reading.

* * *

_Avignon had been working the case for almost a week. It was the offered bribe to get Asha out of the country that had finally convinced him. It seemed the Workers Paradise wasn't above using tactics from the old regime. Avi knew this was her only chance. The TB progressed by the day and if she remained, the end would come soon._

_He had been in love with her from the moment they met in that dank, dark prison, but his part in her being there had stopped him from ever voicing this. He promised himself he would one day, but that day never seemed to come. _

_Perhaps this was his chance to redeem himself in her eyes. From the moment she saw the photos of the victims, she had been urging him to solve the killings. Her words seemed to haunt him._

_"You are going to save them, aren't you, Avi,' Asha asked._

_"Who?"_

_"The innocent."_

_"There are no innocent, Asha,' he replied._

_"Yes, there are."_

_So there if was, a call to his forgotten humanity. He had been disillusioned by the whole game of politics years before and that disillusionment had spread through his whole life. He'd fallen into cynicism as so many do when they finally come face to face with the reality of life. He'd begun to believe there were no innocent or things to believe in and fight for. The new bosses were the same as the old, corrupt and eager for power. He felt hopelessly naïve that he believed things could change if only given a new start. A man under the lash cares little who's wielding it._

_It had been during a night of drinking with Sasha, the former Zealot and perhaps Avignon's last remaining friend that he'd finally made the decision to take the case. They had been in high spirits as the drinks flowed, but eventually the subject turned to the killings._

"_You're going to solve this for her, aren't you,' Sasha asked._

"_I don't know,' Avi admitted. "People die everyday, what matters how?"_

"_Because this feels different," Sasha replied. He took a long swallow from the bottle and passed it back to Avignon. "War is one thing, but this, this is murder, cold calculated murder."_

"_Have you not killed more than your share, Sasha,' Avi asked. "You were a commander in the Zealot or Black brigade. Everyone has heard the stories about what they have done."_

_Sasha didn't reply at first, but too a long drink. He never spoke of his time among the Black and usually just played any mention of it off with a joke. For some reason, no joke came tonight._

"_Have you ever had faith, Avi,' Sasha asked._

"_What?"_

"_Faith? Have you ever had it?"_

"_I believed in the Revolution once,' Avi offered._

"_No, that is belief, not faith,' Sasha said with a shake of his head. "Belief is thinking something is true, while faith is knowing in your heart it is."_

"_No," Avi admitted._

"_The Zealots or Black have faith,' Sasha said. "Their leader is a messenger from God to them and was to me. Whatever they do is justified by the faith that what they are doing is divinely inspired. You have no idea how powerful that knowledge is to someone. To absolutely know you are right without question allows you to do anything."_

"_I don't understand what you're getting at,' Avignon said._

"_You think these murders are just like all the rest, but they are not,' Sasha replied. "The person responsible for them has faith that he is above the law and can do whatever he wants. Asha was right, the killer likes this and will not stop."_

"_If that's true, how do you stop someone with faith like that?"_

"_There are two ways,' Sasha said. "One is the man himself has a crisis of faith and realizes the basic mistake of his faith. The second way is you catch him and prove he is not above the laws of Man. You show that the rule of law is not for a few divinely selected but for everyone. The law is a covenant between all men that all are equal in the eyes of Justice. That is the hope that you and so many have lost, my friend. Each side in this struggle talks about a Golden tomorrow, a paradise to come, but without the rule of law that can never be."_

_Avignon was stunned by his friend's words. He had never heard him so eloquent or forceful. The rule of law, hadn't that been what Avignon had fought for all those years ago? Hadn't that been the reason he'd taken Asha's case in the first place? In the end, it was what made him turn away from the Revolution._

"_You speak as if you'd learned this lesson,' Avi finally said. "Was it the first way or the second, Sasha?"_

"_The first."_

_There was a long silence, as if memories that had been haunting him for years back rushing back. The bottle remained in his hand, as he eyes seemed to be looking off into the distance._

"_It was in the village of L_, do you know if it,' Sasha whispered._

"_The massacre? Everyone knows of it, Sasha, are you saying you were there,' Avignon asked._

"_Yes, but to us, the Zealots or Black we didn't think of it as a massacre,' Sasha replied. "We were following our Glorious Leader in sweeping away the corruption and the non-faithful. It was our divine calling. I am ashamed to say I killed many that day and without a second thought. I had faith."_

"_What changed?"_

"_It was after the battle was over,' Sasha began. The words seemed to come as if torn from his soul. "The village was being burn to the ground, while the dead lay everywhere. I was heading out of the village when a dog, a pup really, came running up to me. As dogs are want to do, it seemed happy to see me. I remember bending down to pet it and a smile coming to my face. A sweet moment in the middle of all this, can you imagine?"_

"_Strange things happen in war,' Avignon admitted._

"_As I knelt there playing with the dog, the Glorious Leader came by on horseback,' Sasha continued. "He saw me with the dog and stopped. He addressed me by name. I can't tell you how shocked and honored I was that he actually knew who I was. I remember standing up ramrod straight and snapping off my best military salute. He sat on his horse looking for a moment at me and the pup, which was still playing at my ankles. I can still hear his word, clear and cold, 'kill the dog, nothing shall remain of this non-believer village.' He rode off and I just stood there watching him."_

"_What did you do?"_

"_My revolver was in my hand and I pointed it at the pup,' Sasha said. 'It was pulling at my shoelaces; not even realizing its life was about to end. I felt sick to my stomach. I, who had killed scores of people I didn't even know, unmanned by a dog, can you imagine? I must have hesitated too long, because one of the other soldiers pulled his gun and shot, killing the dog. I stood there, unable to move and there were tears in my eyes. All around me my comrades were marching off to the next village, yet I couldn't move. Something gave way inside me in that moment."_

_Sasha stopped for a moment and took a long drink from the wine bottle. Avignon could see there were tears in Sasha's eyes. Avi silently waited for Sasha to continue._

"_That was my crisis of faith, Avi,' Sasha finally said. "It is my shame that it was a dog that caused it not another human being. I had faith that we were bringing divine justice to this country, yet what crime had an innocent dog committed? What sort of just God could want it dead? I found myself looking at the villagers' bodies for the first time. They were just peasants, poor simple families really, what crime had they done to deserve this? I stood there for hours; long after all the soldiers had gone. I knew the war was over for me. I stripped off my uniform and began walking. I don't even know how many days later if was, but the lines had shifted and the refugees were streaming into the Capital. I was with them."_

"_I'm sorry, my friend,' Avignon offered._

"_Don't be for me, Avi, not me,' Sasha replied. "Solve these killings, Avi. Show the people that the rule of law is still fought for by someone. This is your second chance, Avignon and perhaps by helping you mine as well."_

_Avignon began his investigation the following morning._

_

* * *

_

The Watchtower

The somber mood had only grown worse as the time ticked by. Everyone moved in hush tones. Wally was standing in the line in the cafeteria, tray in hand. Shayera, Mari, Plastic Man and Zatanna were also in line, but no one was talking.

The loud speaker suddenly came on and Jonn's voice echoed through the entire station.

"I just received word for Themyscira, Diana had regained consciousness. She's going to be okay."

A cheer went up all over the station. Smiles, hugs and handshakes went all around. Wally turned to see Zatanna practically jumping for joy and hugging Mari. Wally and Shayera caught each other's eye and in the next moment they embraced. He wasn't even thinking about what he was doing and kissed her. Shayera returned it. The others stopped and looked in shock at this.

"Has anyone seen Dinah,' Plastic Man suddenly asked with a huge grin on his face.

* * *

Gotham

It was early, well early for Bruce, yet he found himself awake. For some reason he had the notion that she would be there today. It wasn't like she ever asked permission to just come barging in. Strangely, he found he didn't mind it as much as he thought he should have. He lay there waiting and a smile actually came to his face. Minutes ticked by, yet still his bedroom door didn't come bursting open. Where was she, he thought?

Finally, he got up and showered. He came back out to get dressed and still she hadn't appeared. In his usual tailored suit and crisp white shirt, he opened the door and glanced down the hallway. Nothing, he couldn't hear a sound. Stepping out into the hallway, he straightened his tie and headed towards the stairs. The kitchen, he thought, perhaps she had stopped off to talk with Alfred. Bruce knew the older man was very fond of her. The fact that she flirted with him every time she was here probably helped Alfred's opinion of her.

As he made his way towards the kitchen, the only sound Bruce heard was rather soft classical music. It sounded like Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel to him. He opened the kitchen door to find Alfred sitting at the table reading the morning paper, alone.

"Oh, Master Bruce, you're up early,' the older man said. He closed the paper and stood up. "Breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you,' Bruce replied, even as he found his eyes moving over the whole room.

"Are you looking for something, Master Bruce,' Alfred asked.

"What? Oh, um, no, no, just thinking,' Bruce offered.

"Perhaps someone,' Alfred said with a smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bruce quickly said. "Just felt like breakfast, is all."

"Of course sir,' Alfred replied, smiling as he turned back to the stove to start breakfast.

Bruce glanced at the paper, but his mind was still rather occupied with one question. Where was she?

* * *

Themyscira

A rather lengthy stay in the shower later, Diana was feeling much better. She still felt rather weak, but could feel her body recovering. As she put on a soft, fluffy robe and dried her hair, Diana walked back into the main room and found her mother sitting alone waiting for her.

"Mother."

"Daughter,' Hippolyta replied. "I think we should talk."

"All right,' Diana agreed and sat down opposite her mother. The Queen looked at her for a few moments, still not quite sure what she wanted to say. The last few days had been so fraught with worry and fear it was just good to see Diana awake again.

"I am so glad you have recovered,' Hippolyta found herself beginning. 'You don't know how worried I was."

"Thank you, I'm sorry if I worried you,' Diana offered, a little surprised by her mother's frank statements.

"I don't suppose I can talk you into staying here, can I,' the Queen asked.

'For how long,' Diana asked, putting down the towel.

"Indefinitely."

"No, I'm sorry, no, mother."

"I didn't think so,' Hippolyta admitted. "So do you intend to return to the suburbs or is that over as well?"

"Yes, I, well, um, ah, I don't know,' Diana said, caught off guard by the question and not sure herself.

"So I may end your marriage then?"

"No."

Diana had answered a little too quickly and this received a raised eyebrow from Hippolyta. Diana blushed, even surprised herself how fast she had answered.

"Perhaps we should talk about this man you have fallen in love with daughter."

"I didn't say I was in love with him,' Diana replied. While Diana prided herself on being forthright and honest, there were still things she wasn't comfortable talking about with her own mother. Her love life was probably number one on that list.

"Aren't you?" The Queen wasn't to be put off, though.

"Yes, I think so,' she admitted.

"Yet, in some way he is responsible for you being in the condition you find yourself in,' Hippolyta stated. Diana was about to object and defend Kal, but stopped herself. It was because of him that Lashina was in their house and Diana was more than a little angry with him. The main focus of her anger was still Lashina, though.

"Lashina is responsible for the attack, mother,' Diana finally said. "I will deal with her when the time comes."

The vehement in Diana's words surprised Hippolyta.

"You usually don't show your temper so easily Diana,' the Queen observed.

"Lashina is different. My feelings towards her are hard to explain. Hate is the wrong word,' Diana clarified. "But this woman is my mortal enemy and I know that will never change. Whatever the word is that is close to hate that is what I feel towards Lashina. I know she hates me, as well."

"Yet Clark allowed her in your house,' Hippolyta pointed out.

"I know,' Diana admitted. "We will have a long discussion about that, believe me."

"But you are in love with him,' Hippolyta stated again.

"Mother, I'm not really comfortable discussing this with you,' Diana replied. She squirmed a bit at even the thought.

"That's too bad, because we are going to discuss this, daughter,' Hippolyta firmly said. "Has he kept his promise?"

"Yes, he has, mother,' Diana said, blushing at the thought. Something about her answer caught Hippolyta's attention.

"Have you kept it as well, Diana?"

"I made no promise."

The words were out of Diana's mouth before she could stop them. By the Gods, I almost wish I could slip back into unconsciousness at this moment, she thought.

"I see," was Hippolyta's response.

"It's not like that, mother, we kissed, that's all,' Diana offered.

"But you wished it was more, didn't you,' Hippolyta asked.

Diana felt like she wanted to crawl under the bed rather than answer the question. Her fingers absently twisted the belt of her robe, as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Diana?"

"I've thought about it,' Diana offered.

"Having sex with him,' Hippolyta added.

"Yes."

It was barely a whisper, as Diana's face was beet red with embarrassment. Certain conversations you never imagine having with a parent and whom you want to have sex with is usually in the top ten. It often falls right after your parent telling you about their sex life. Diana's mind was in a whirl, trying to think of anything to shift the subject.

"He wanted to ask you for your permission to court me, Mother, when this bet is over,' Diana said, hoping that would help somehow.

"Court you or bed you?"

"Oh Hera,' Diana groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "Court me, mother, a date, that's all."

"Well, at least one of you has some self control,' Hippolyta remarked.

"Mother!"

"Oh, don't mother me, Diana,' Hippolyta replied. "I saw how you looked at him and he at you when I visited. I'm surprised he's lasted this long. Naïve, but honorable, I guess that's something."

Diana peaked out between her fingers, not sure how to take what her mother had just said.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

Hippolyta was sitting with her arms crossed and a rather unhappy look on her face.

"I mean that no matter what I say you are going to pursue a relationship with him, aren't you?"

"I think so, yes,' Diana replied.

"So the fact that he put your life in jeopardy means nothing?"

"No, that's not true,' Diana said. "I am angry at him, but at the same time I know why he did it."

"Why,' Hippolyta asked.

"It's who he is, mother,' Diana explained. "He believes everyone deserves a second chance. I know many say that, but he believes it. It's why I agreed to allow Lashina to stay."

"You agreed,' Hippolyta gasped, not believing what she was hearing. "Have you lost what good sense you were born with child?"

"I admit it wasn't the best decision in hindsight."

"Perhaps if you'd been thinking with your head instead of another part of your body this wouldn't have happen," Hippolyta snidely commented.

"Do we have to talk about that,' Diana groaned.

"If you want my permission than yes."

Diana lifted her head out of her hands and gazed at her mother in shock.

"You would give your permission for us to date?"

"It truly is that important to you, isn't it,' Hippolyta asked, getting to the point of the matter.

"Yes, mother, it is."

As much as she hated doing it, Hippolyta knew she was going to have to agree. Diana was a grown woman and would make this decision whether her mother agreed or not. While the Queen was still angry with Superman, she also knew he was a good and decent man. If anything, his honoring his promise even when her daughter didn't, showed her something. She also knew that having almost lost Diana once; she couldn't bear to be separated from her again. Still she wasn't going to give in that easily.

"I will make a deal with you, Diana, since this is so important to you,' Hippolyta replied. "I will release Clark from his promise and allow the two of you to court."

"Thank you, mother, thank you,' Diana happily said, hugging her mother.

"I wasn't finished daughter," the Queen continued. "Your 'bet' is still in effect, is that right?"

"Yes, why,' Diana asked, wondering what her mother was up to.

"As I said, I will release him from his promise, but in it's place you will make the same promise, Diana. If you keep it till the end of the bet and only then, will I allow the two of you to court. Do we have a deal, Diana?"

"You mean he can, but I can't,' Diana gasped, shocked at this suggestion. "Why?"

"A relationship is a partnership, daughter, if he was able to keep his promise, it only seems right that you do the same,' Hippolyta replied. "Besides, it seems you were the one I should have had make the promise in the first place."

"Mother!"

"Is it a deal, Princess Diana of Themyscira," Hippolyta said with a smile. "Will you give your word?"

Diana was fuming now, as she saw the satisfied look on her mother's face. She thinks she's outmaneuvered me again!

"Fine! Yes, I give my word, satisfied, my Queen?"

"Yes,' Hippolyta replied in satisfaction.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from him at hearing the news that Diana was going to be okay. He had been able to sleep for the first time in days. He wasn't sure what would happen now, but the fact that she was recovering was all that really mattered to him. She probably hates me for letting this happen, he thought. This did nothing to lift his mood. Twenty-four hours had passed since he'd heard the news, but nothing from Diana.

He wanted to be alone with his thoughts, but Kara decided she was going to cheer him up, whether he liked it or not. She arrived with breakfast and hadn't left.

"Why are you down in the dumps, Diana's okay,' she asked.

"I feel responsible."

"Because you trusted Lashina?" Kara continued. "Why was that anyway? Did you sleep with her or something?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," Clark offered.

"You did! Oh My God, that is so weird and disgusting at the same time,' Kara exclaimed. "So did you do it when she was here? You did, didn't you? Is that why she attacked Diana, because you had another one night stand and broke it off?"

"NO!" Clark looked at her in dismay. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Kara."

"Look who's talking, you slept with Lashina of all people,' Kara fired back. "Man, when guys get horny they'll sleep with anyone."

"It wasn't like that,' Clark said, trying to defend himself. "It happened when I was on Apokolips, okay? I wasn't myself if you remember."

"Still you boned her, gross," Kara said, making a face. "Did you tell Diana about you two? I'll bet she was pissed, wasn't she? I know I would be, I hate Lashina! Boy, you think you know someone, that he's a nice, quiet guy, a Boy Scout and all and then you find out he's screwing the slut from school."

"Why are you here again,' Clark asked.

"You didn't call out Lashina's name in your sleep or something, did you? No, you couldn't have or Diana would have killed you," Kara mused. "Boy when she gets back you are going to owe her big time! I mean first she let you bring your whorish ex-girlfriend to live with you and then Lashina turns around and attacks her. You better fill this place with flowers or something, cause a card just isn't going to do it!"

"You're assuming Diana's coming back," Clark quietly said.

"Yeah, why wouldn't she," Kara asked.

"She almost died, Kara and I'm responsible, Clark offered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she never wants to speak to me. I couldn't blame her if she didn't."

"So what? You're giving up,' Kara asked. "Oh, come on, you two are perfect together! You made a mistake. Apologize and tell her it will never happen again."

"I wish it was that easy."

Kara got up and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. "Don't screw this up, Clark. I like Diana as my sort of sister-in-law! I won't stand for Lashina being related to me, that's too much! You grovel if you have to, but make Diana forgive you. Is that clear?"

Clark sat there with his mouth open, not sure what to say to this. Thankfully the doorbell rang and saved him.

"I said is that clear, Clark,' Kara repeated. He stood up and looked down at her.

"I thought you were trying to cheer me up? You really stink at it, you know."

He moved over and opened the door before Kara could continue. She was standing right beside him as he opened the door to find the neighborhood children standing there.

"Hi, Mr. Kent!" They all shouted.

"Um, hi," he replied.

"Can we use your pool, it's really hot out,' Mary asked.

The image of what had happened came back to him and for a moment he hesitated.

"I don't know, kids, it's just that…"

"Sure, come on it, kids,' Kara said before he could finish.

"Yeah!"

The four girls immediately raced past them and into the living room. Tommy stopped and looked at Kara.

"Is this you new wife, Mr. Kent? Was the other one too old so you got a younger one?"

'Ewww!" Kara groaned. "No, no, I'm not his wife, that's gross! I'm his cousin!"

"Are you a model," Mary shouted as they opened the patio doors.

"Yes, I am," Kara replied with a big grin. "How did you guess?'

"You're tall and hot,' Brittney shouted as she headed out with her friends to the patio.

"I like these kids, Clark,' Kara offered.

"Good, than you won't mind watching them, will you,' he replied.

"I don't like them that much, besides, I've, um, ah, got to get back,' she quickly said.

"Wait a minute, you can't just leave me with them," Clark started to protest, but she was already heading out the door. "Kara!"

He stepped outside but she was in the car and pulling away. There was no chance of catching her now.

"I'm going in the deep end this time, Mr. Kent," Tommy shouted.

"You'll drown, Tommy, 'his sister Mary shouted back.

"Oh, Jeez," Clark groaned and hurried out to the patio. He just stepped outside as Tommy did a cannonball into the water. The splash soaked Clark's shirt and shorts.

"That was a big one,' Tommy said as he surfaced.

"Yeah, yeah it was Tommy,' Clark replied, wiping the water from his face. He looked at the pool and realized he was responsible for them now, whether he liked it or not. "Okay, everybody, let's just remember to be careful. We don't want anything else to happen in this pool."

If they heard him, they didn't show it. Clark sat down on the side, dangling his legs in the water as he watched them enjoy themselves.

* * *

Gotham Heights –Later

The front door to the house opened silently and Diana stepped inside. Strange emotions came over her. In once sense it felt like coming home, but in another it was the scene of her attack. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to Clark, but knew she wanted to be here. As she stepped down into the living room, the sound of children laughing and splashing reached her ears. Curious, Diana moved over to look out at the patio. She stopped before they saw her and stood there watching. Clark was in the pool along with the neighborhood children. Two of the young girls were sitting on his broad shoulders, while young Tommy had his arms wrapped around Clark's neck. They seemed to be having a wonderful time climbing all over him.

A smile came to Diana's lips as she watched Clark patiently allow this, while making sure they were safe. That's my husband, she thought and this made her smile even more.


	44. Chapter 44

Carousel

"_My baby don't care for shows  
My baby don't care for clothes  
My baby just cares for me  
My baby don't care for cars and races  
My baby don't care for high-tone places_

_Liz Taylor is not his style  
And even Lana Turner's smile  
Is somethin' he can't see  
My baby don't care who knows  
My baby just cares for me"_

Gotham Heights

Clark was doing his best to entertain the children. One of their mothers had stopped by earlier just to make sure they weren't bothering him. He said it was no problem, which the mother was happy to hear. This meant she didn't have to pay for a babysitter while she ran down to the store. She laughed as Tommy pushed Clark in and the kids began to jump and climb all over him. She said that she thought he would make a wonderful father and then skipped out to go shopping.

The important things in Clark's life were all on hold, so he figured he might as well just enjoy the afternoon and make sure the kids were safe and having fun. With the five of them climbing all over him, he was a submarine. He called out 'down periscope' and then dropped down dunking all of them. They were laughing as they came up. It was the kids that saw Diana first.

She had stepped out of the patio doors and was standing there watching them. Clark reached up and brushed the hair from his eyes and gazed at her. Their eyes locked and the rest of the world seemed to slip away. She'd come back, he thought and in that moment he couldn't remember ever being so happy about anything. He wasn't thinking of the future or anything else, just that she was there. That was enough for now.

Mary and one of her young friends were already out of the pool trying to get Diana to join the fun. Clark didn't say anything, just smiled as they fired question after question at Diana. She did her best to keep up, but they hardly waited for her answers before more questions came. She finally just gave in and went inside to change into her bathing suit.

"Mr. Kent, you seem really happy to see your wife,' Britney said. Clark turned with a big smile on his face.

"I am,' he replied.

He treaded water in the deep end of the pool, keeping one eye on the children, but waiting for her to return. It was probably just a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity for him. When she stepped back outside in that black bathing suit, Clark felt his heart race. If it was possible, Diana looked even more stunning at that moment. Before the children could push her, she dove in. Diana surfaced four feet away from him. They were looking at each other again.

"I'm glad you're back,' he said.

"Thank you, but we need to talk,' Diana replied.

"I know I still glad you're back."

"I am too,' she offered with a small smile. "I didn't want to be anywhere else."

A rather large splash stopped any further conversation. They both turned their attention to the children, but found themselves continuing to look into each other's eyes.

* * *

The Watchtower

Wally was sitting with Mari and Zatanna. He looked very nervous.

"So what am I going to do," he asked. He slumped forward, holding his head in his hands. Mari and Zee looked at each other in confusion.

"Don't you want to go out with Shayera,' Mari asked.

"Yes, God, yes, but this is like a real date! When we went to Zee's show I just thought I was catching a break by going with her, but now it's officially a date! What the hell am I going to do?"

"Go out with her,' Zee offered.

"Duh,' Wally snidely replied. "Where? I mean last time it was your show and then we just joined you and Constantine, this time I have to figure out what to do!"

"Hey, that reminds me, why wasn't I invited,' Mari asked Zatanna. "I thought we were friends, yet you guys go out partying without me."

"You were on duty, remember,' Zee replied. "Besides, things got a little blurry for me after awhile."

"Still, did you even think about calling me,' Mari asked.

"Would it make you feel better if I say yes?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then yes, I did," Zee offered.

"Thanks, Zee."

"Could we get back on track here,' Wally interrupted. "I've got a current crisis, okay?"

"Why don't you just ask her what she wants to do,' Mari suggested.

"But it's a date, I'm the guy, I'm supposed to come out with something,' Wally replied.

"So do you have any ideas,' Zee asked.

"Darts?"

"Any other ideas,' Zee said.

"Arbys?"

"It's suddenly becoming very clear why you don't date much,' Zee replied. Wally looked from her to Mari and she was giving him a look too.

"What,' he said.

"Arbys? Really?' Mari asked.

"Why so down on Arbys,' Wally replied. "You are not going to beat their Jamocha shakes."

"Well, that's true,' Mari admitted.

"Wally, if the tables are bolted to the floor and the napkins are paper, not the best place for a first date,' Zee said. "Take Shayera someplace nice, you idiot."

"Olive Garden?"

"Well, it's a step in the right direction,' Mari offered. Zee made a face at both of them.

"Maybe you two should date,' she said. "Add some curly fries and it's a night!"

"I just said it was a step in the right direction, not that I'd go there,' Mari said in her defense. "It least you're not ordering off the big board at the counter in Olive Garden."

"Steak and Shake,' Wally suggested.

"I'm sure she'll love coloring in the menu. Why don't you take her to the Burger King and you can play in the ball pit,' Zee sarcastically replied.

"You think she'd like that,' Wally asked. This got him a smack from Zatanna. "Ow!"

"Where did you take your last date, Wally,' Mari asked.

"Arbys."

This got him another smack from Zatanna and then one from Mari.

"Ow! Ow! What?" Wally exclaimed, rubbing his shoulders.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The kids finally left when their mother returned. Diana went upstairs to grab a robe before Clark could speak to her. He sat down on the patio and dried himself off, thinking of what he was going to say. He was overjoyed she was okay, but he still owed her an apology.

Diana came down the stairs in her white robe. She felt happy being back here. They needed to talk, she thought. As she started for the patio, she stopped as she saw Clark. He was sitting there in just his swimming trunks.

"Oh my,' she whispered, feeling those now familiar feelings spread through her. Damn you mother for making me promise, Diana thought. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Diana stepped outside and sat down across from him.

"We need to talk, Kal,' she started, trying not to let her eyes roamed over his naked chest.

"I know and first I want to apologize, Diana,' he replied. "I'm so sorry, I can't tell you how sorry I am for what happened. I wouldn't blame you if you hold me responsible for what happened. I'm just so glad you're okay."

Diana found her eyes drifting over his body and face. The thought of how handsome a man he was seemed to fill her mind.

"Diana?"

"Hmm? Oh, um, what,' she responded, blushing a little that she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

"I said I'm sorry for what happened."

"Thank you."

"Is something wrong," he asked.

Diana's eyes had drifted again and she shook her head to clear the rather racy thoughts that seemed to be swirling through her mind.

"Could you put a shirt on or something, Kal,' she finally asked.

"Um, okay,' he replied, not quite following what was going on. Shrugging his shoulders, Clark got up and went inside. Diana's eyes followed him the whole way as she absently thought this view wasn't bad either.

"Hera, help me, this is going to be a long week,' Diana whispered.

* * *

Gotham

The wind whipped her blonde hair all around and she felt free and content. Dinah stood on the ledge of one of the downtown buildings looking out over the city. She felt as relaxed as she had in quite a while. The anger and frustration she'd been feeling lately was gone, as now she knew what she wanted. Most would think the change had something to do with a new or renewed relationship, but that wasn't it. Dinah hadn't given up on love, but at the moment something else seemed to take precedence.

It's not a job if you love what you're doing. Most people have to settle for a job or a career. Money is the accepted form of compensation, but for a lucky few the money is incidental. What the thing is you're doing can be anything, fireman, tailor, nurse or teacher, but it's that feeling of this is where I should be that makes it special. Without it, you're just working for a paycheck, a means to an end. Dinah was starting to understand that when you find what you really want to do, it's an end in itself.

She was still young, there was plenty of time for the rest, but right now, she wanted to experience the joy of doing exactly what she wanted for a while. This wasn't a mission for her, but a calling. A smile came to her face as she fired her line and launched herself off the building and into the air. This was exactly where she wanted to be, doing exactly what she wanted to do.

"Ring-a-ding-ding! Let's get those bad guys!"

Dinah just shook her head as she heard the helicopter sound above her. Okay, she thought, nothing's perfect.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Clark came back downstairs in a shirt and shorts. Diana was sitting on the couch, her robe tight around her. He moved to sit next to her, but she held up her hand.

"Sit over there, please,' she said, pointing to the chair across from her. He looked at the chair and then back to her.

"Why?"

"Four feet, remember."

"Okay,' he said and moved over and sat down. Diana looked at him in the shirt and shorts and thought that wasn't much better. Why was he so distractingly handsome she thought? Patience, she told herself, it's only one more week.

"Kal, we need to talk about what's happened and what's going to happen,' Diana began.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am about Lashina, Diana,' Clark replied. "Please accept my apology. I was told I should grovel if I have to."

"Who said that,' she asked.

"Kara."

"I'm liking your cousin more and more,' Diana teased.

"She'll be happy to hear that,' he offered. "I am sorry, Diana, I hope you know that. I never wanted anything to happen to you, ever."

"I accept your apology, Kal, it's over and we can't change what happened,' Diana said.

"No, we can't, but I know now that I should never have put you in that situation,' he replied. "It wasn't fair of me. Putting myself in danger to try and make up for past mistakes is one thing, but I should never put someone else in danger because of it. I was being selfish, trying to slay my own demons without thinking how it would affect you. I'm truly sorry for that, Diana. If I've ruined any chance we might have, I'll accept it. I realized that you're the most important thing to me and I don't want to ever be responsible for anything happening to you."

Diana blushed and smiled at this. She knew his words came from his heart, but they also bothered her a bit.

"You're always so pessimistic and serious, Kal," she offered, deflecting his sentiments. "I've been attacked before and will be again. Hopefully, not in my own house by your former lovers, but I'm not some fragile flower, Kal. I can take care of myself. I agreed to let Lashina stay here, too."

"Only because I asked you,' he countered.

"Shut up, Kal, I'm talking now,' Diana immediately said. "I agreed because I knew it was important to you. I'm angry at Lashina, but I'm also angry at you, too."

"Okay, you have every right to be,' he said.

"Yes, I do,' Diana replied. "I want us to continue, but you have to understand I'm not like your former girlfriends, Kal. I don't need you to protect me, I just want you be honest with me and talk to me. I agreed to allow Lashina here because you told me the reason behind it. If we're going to move forward, you have to trust me enough to be open and honest with me about everything. There's no holding back, Kal, if we're going to be together."

"I'll try, Diana, I promise,' he said, his voice rather sober.

"Also, you need to stop trying to decided what's best for me,' Diana continued. "I'm a grown woman if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I've noticed, believe me, I've noticed."

"Good, then you should understand that I can make my own decisions,' Diana stated. "I won't put up with you trying to decide what you think is best for me. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good, cause if you try doing that again, I'm really going to be angry at you,' Diana told him. "You so don't want me angry at you, Kal, trust me."

"Oh, I believe you,' Clark quickly replied. He gave her a small smile. "So are we going to be okay?"

"Yes,' Diana replied with a smile of her own.

He started to get up and move towards her to kiss her, but Diana held up her hand to stop him.

"Um, ah, there's something else, Kal,' Diana said. "I talked to my mother."

"Oh," he said, sitting back down. "Is she still pissed at me?"

"Yes, but she understands a little better now,' Diana offered. "She did make a decision about us courting."

He was a bit nervous about this. He absently chewed the inside of his cheek, not sure he wanted to hear what the Queen had decided. Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, he couldn't help asking.

"A good decision or a bad decision?"

"That depends on how you look at it, Diana admitted.

He just looked at her, waiting for her to explain. Diana was a little nervous as she thought about telling him the details of her mother's deal. Damn, she outwitted me again Diana had to admit.

"Diana?"

'She has released you from your promise,' Diana whispered. For a moment Clark wasn't sure he'd heard her right, but then a big smile came to his face.

"She has?"

"Yes."

"Well, all right,' Clark chuckled, instantly moving towards Diana. Again she held up her hand to stop him.

"What?"

"She made me make the same promise for the rest of the bet, though,' Diana admitted. Clark sat back, his mouth open as this bit of news sunk in.

"So, let me see if I have this straight,' he finally said. "I can, but now you can't?"

"Yes,' Diana glumly admitted.

"Well, that's certainly interesting."

"On the bright side, if we make it to the end of the bet, she would consent to us courting or dating,' Diana said.

"That is good news,' Clark admitted. He looked at Diana again and couldn't help smiling. "Still it's going to be difficult, isn't it?"

"Very,' Diana replied. He slowly got up and moved over to sit next to her. Diana eyed him wearily. "What are you doing?"

"Well, we can still kiss, can't we,' he asked with his most innocent smile. "That wouldn't be breaking your promise, would it?"

Diana narrowed her eyes and her mouth became a straight line across her face.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you,' she asked.

"Who me? The man you've been torturing for the last three weeks? No, of course not,' he replied. "I just wanted to kiss my wife, is all."

Diana crossed her arms in front of her and glared at him.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?"

"Well, you have to admit it's sort of an ironic twist of fate in my benefit,' he said.

He slowly moved closer to her. Diana saw this and moved further down the couch. She held up her hand against his chest stopping his advance.

"Four feet, Kal, four feet."


	45. Chapter 45

Velvet

Gotham Heights

After a rather awkward and frustrating day, Diana finally managed to fall asleep next to Clark. Sometime during the night her unconscious mind began to wander, unconnected images and sounds filtering in and out. She started to dream. At first they were more like memories of people and places. There were images of Themyscira in her youth. Swimming with her sister. The endless games of childhood shared under the golden sunshine. They came in no specific order.

While they were all wonderful dreams, her last one was the best. A smile came to Diana's slumbering lips, as this was a very good and adult dream. How dreams work is a remarkable process. They pluck bits of information from many sources to add to the texture and world of the dream. Those with fertile imaginations can have the most intimate and vivid dreams. Diana had a very fertile imagination.

She was on her honeymoon with Kal. They were in Niagara Falls. Somewhere she must have seen something about it being a honeymoon destination and her mind remembered it. They were in the Jacuzzi, honeymoon suite. There was a large heart shaped bed with red silk sheets. In her waking hours she would have thought the whole motif garish and tacky, but in her dream it seemed perfect.

Diana was in the heart shaped bed with Kal. Everything was so vivid down the feel of his body against hers. Her imagination was filling in all the details even of things she didn't have first hand knowledge of. They were very good details. She could feel his hard, tone chest against her, his hands sliding up her arms, his lips against hers.

"Diana."

She heard him whisper her name and almost purred as her hands explored his body. He was wearing pajamas and as she kissed her way down his chest, the buttons seemed to press against her. With a groan of desire, she ripped his pajama top apart, not wanting anything between them.

"Diana."

There was more urgency in his voice this time. She could feel his excitement pressing against her. Her body seemed alive with sensations and wanton desires. Running her nails down his chest, Diana smiled wickedly as she heard him gasp. Shifting her body, she was on top of him now, their bodies pressed tightly together. She kissed her way along his collarbone to the side of his neck, licking playfully at his earlobe.

"Diana!"

His voice seemed even more strained and she imagined he was just as excited as she was, almost overwhelmed by the desire and sensations rushing through her. Kissing her way along his jaw line towards his mouth, Diana skimmed her fingers down his sides towards his pajama bottoms. His hands stopped her. In her dream she thought he was playing with her, so she sensually moved her body against his, bringing another groan from his lips. He still didn't release her hands. The want building up inside of her was almost too much to take. The urgency of her desires couldn't wait any longer. Hotly kissing her way to his lips, she whispered to him.

"Kal, I want.."

"Princess!"

His voice was louder and strange. Diana's eyes opened and she was looking down at him, mere millimeters separating them. As the fog of the dream slowly began to lift, she realized they weren't in Niagara Falls, but in their house in Gotham Heights. Diana's eyes went wide in surprise as she realized she was lying on top of him in their bed.

"Good morning,' he managed to say, the full of effect of her being this close to him playing havoc with his senses.

"Um, morning,' Diana replied, still processing what was happening. She could feel every inch of him against her.

"Doing a little dreaming, were you?"

"Yes,' she said, blushing as she stared down at him.

"Must have been a pretty good dream," he offered.

"Very,' she replied, realizing he was still holding her wrists just above the waistband of his pajamas.

"Anything you'd care to share?'

"Um, ah, no, no,' Diana quickly replied and then shifted away from him. This brought another groan from his lips and she was very aware of his excitement. Embarrassment filled her and Diana rushed to climb off of him. In her haste, her knee made rather unfortunate contact with his lower anatomy.

"Diana!" He gasped and then groaned in pain.

"Um, ah, sorry." She moved quickly to her side of the bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. Diana was mortified by what had almost happened. She couldn't look at him.

Clark sat up on the side of the bed taking deep breaths. He glanced over at her, but the sight of her brought back the feeling of her against him. He bent his head and ran his hands over his face. His whole body was keyed up and he knew there was no way he was getting back to sleep.

"I, um, ah, well, I think I'm going to take a long swim,' he offered, finally getting up and walking towards the door.

"Yes, I think I'll take a shower and get up too,' she offered.

He stopped at the doorway and looked at her.

"Try a cold one, Diana, a very cold one."

"Right."

* * *

The Watchtower

Batman came down from the transporter pad and nodded at Jonn. He moved over to the log of who was on the station and scanned the names.

"She's not here,' Jonn said, as he continued his work on the controls.

"Who,' Bruce asked.

"Zatanna."

"Why would you tell me that,' Bruce asked, a little surprised by Jonn's statement.

"That's whose name you were looking for, weren't you?"

"Reading my mind, Jonn?"

"No, of course not,' Jonn said with a smile. "I've just observed that whenever you arrive you check the names in the log. You tend to start at the bottom. Since they are in alphabetical order it makes sense that her name is the one you are looking for."

Bruce stood there for a moment in silence. As Batman he had trained himself not to be a creature of habit, as this would aid his enemies. Jonn's observation shocked him. Bruce hadn't even realized he was doing it. He did look for her name when he arrived almost automatically. When did that happen, he wondered?

"Was I mistaken,' Jonn asked. "If so, I apologize."

"No, you are quite the detective, Jonn,' Bruce replied.

"That's quite the compliment coming from Batman,' Jonn said with a smile.

"Don't read too much into it,' Bruce quickly said. "Since you've noticed a pattern, can you tell me where she is?"

"Gotham, perhaps,' Jonn offered. "That is where she transported down to twenty minutes ago."

"Thank you."

Jonn nodded and turned back to his monitor. Bruce didn't say another word and walked out of the room.

* * *

Metropolis

The room was pitch black, curtains drawn. The scrape of a match was heard and then candles were lit. Six criminals stood around a circular table. Gorilla Grodd, Livewire, Killer Frost, Cheetah, Solomon Grundy and Toyman each held a candle.

"So we're agreed,' Grodd said. "The Metropolis Central Bank will be ours by the end of the day."

"Yes, I can't wait to get my hands on all that money,' Livewire said with glee.

"Um, what about Superman,' Toyman asked.

"Grundy,' Grodd said, turning towards the pale hulking figure.

"Grundy smash!"

"Any other questions," Grodd confidently said.

"Brilliant plan,' Toyman sarcastically replied.

"Grundy will keep Superman busy while we make off with the loot," Grodd explained. "The simpler the plan the better the plan."

"That all sounds good while we're standing here holding candles,' Toyman replied. "What that's about, I haven't a clue. The thing is, when Superman's around, his pals in the Justice League have a tendency to show up."

"Are you afraid of the Justice League, little man,' Killer Frost said with scorn.

"Hell, yes! Especially that little spitfire cousin of Superman's,' Toyman exclaimed. "It's like she can't take a compliment or something! I really think she might hate me."

"I'm sure she's not alone,' Cheetah observed.

"Well, now that you mention it, several of the women in the League seemed to have negative reactions to me,' Toyman admitted. "It's a mystery to me why, though?"

"Perhaps it's all the pervy talk,' Livewire offered.

"Little man a degenerate,' Grundy added.

Everyone turned to look at him in shock.

"Degenerate? Really?" Toyman said. "Everything's Grundy smash and suddenly you're Mr. Polysyllable when it comes to me?"

"Grundy just saying you have a dirty mouth, little man."

"I'm a romantic at heart,' Toyman said in his defense.

"Pervert is more like it,' Cheetah replied.

"Jealous,' Toyman smugly said, with a grin. "I'm attracted to the good girls, what can I say?"

"You little pig,' Cheetah snarled and started towards him. Grodd quickly got between them.

"This isn't getting us anywhere,' he shouted. "We stick to the plan and all of us will be rich by sundown! It's victory or death!"

The others cheered, except Toyman.

"Are those the only two options,' he asked. "I mean that seems kind of extreme, doesn't it? How about victory, death or running away?"

Grodd just shook his head in dismay as the others looked at Toyman in disgust.

"What?"

* * *

The Watchtower

Kara, Courtney and Mary were sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria when Wally came rushing in. He spied them and quickly moved over to their table and sat down.

"Kara, just the person I've been looking for,' Wally said. "I need your help and you owe me."

"How do I owe you,' Kara asked. Wally nervously looked over at Mary. She was drinking a root beer float and seemed the calm, quiet girl most knew.

"Well, you know,' Wally said, tilting his head towards Mary. "I helped when you had to calm insane girl down, remember?"

"And you were useless,' Kara replied. "It was Jonn that had to step up."

"I still gave it a try, so you owe me,' Wally said.

"What do you want?"

"I don't think it's nice you calling me insane, Mr. Flash,' Mary said. She had a hurt look on her face.

"Sorry, Mary, it's just you kind of got wound up there," Wally said, feeling guilty. 'You know, with Toyman and all."

"That bastard!" Mary was on her feet and there was fire in her eyes.

"Easy Mary,' Courtney said, reaching out towards her friend. Wally and Kara shifted back in shock.

"We don't say that name around her," Kara whispered to Wally.

"I see why!"

Kara and Courtney were both next to Mary now, trying to calm her down. It took a few moments, but finally she sat back down and continued drinking her root beer float. Wally watched her, ready to dash out of harm's way at a moment's notice, before turning back to Kara.

"So are you going to help me, Kara,' he asked.

"With what?"

"I have a date with Shayera, but I can't think of where to take her,' Wally admitted.

"So you want our help on where to take her,' Courtney asked.

"No, just Kara,' Wally replied.

"Well, screw you,' Courtney shouted. "What the hell's wrong with the two of us?"

"Courtney, language, remember,' Kara offered.

"Right, right, I'm really trying, I am,' Courtney replied. She turned to Wally and calmly asked, "why don't you want our help on your date, Wally?"

He had shifted towards Kara more, not sure who was worse, Courtney or Mary.

"Um, well, Kara's more devious and sneaky,' Wally nervously said. "She always knows where the coolest places are and manages to go to them without Clark knowing, so she seemed perfect."

"Thanks,' Kara sarcastically replied. "You want my help and then call me devious and sneaky. How did you get a date with Shayera anyway?"

"We can be just as helpful as she can,' Courtney offered. Mary nodded in agreement.

"Okay, where would you suggest I take her,' Wally asked.

Courtney seemed at a loss, but Mary spoke up.

"There's an exhibit at the main library in Metropolis of all the First Ladies' inaugural dresses you could go to,' she offered. "They also have a nice little coffee shop that makes their own ice cream."

The other three looked at her for a moment and then Wally and Kara snorted with laughter.

"What,' Mary asked.

"The library, really,' Wally said with a laugh.

"It's nice and educational,' Mary said in her defense.

"What part of that sounds like a date," Wally asked. "Educational? Are you serious?"

"It was just a suggestion,' Mary replied.

"Okay, nice try, Mary, but maybe he needs to go with something different,' Kara offered.

"Like something fun," Courtney murmured under her breath.

"So what do you know about Shayera, Wally, that should help figure out where to take her,' Kara asked.

"She's gorgeous and she has wings,' he replied. They waited for something more, but nothing came. Kara gave him a look. "What?"

"Kind of thin on details, are you,' she said. "What are you going to take her to Arbys or something? You have to know more about her than that!"

"I like Arbys," Courtney offered.

"Thank you,' Wally explained. "Everybody's suddenly down on Arbys. They make a damn good sandwich, in my opinion!"

"I like the curly fries,' Mary added.

"Yes! That's another plus for Arbys,' Wally said. "It's an underrated establishment!"

"Well, maybe the three of you can go there and then see the dress exhibit,' Kara replied. "You're going with Shayera remember? What else do you know about her?"

"She likes to hit,' Wally weakly offered.

"Okay, that's something,' Kara replied.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana was still a little rattled by her dream. She was standing in the kitchen sipping her coffee waiting for her breakfast to pop up. The one appliance she'd master was the toaster. As she waited, the dream kept running through her head. The cold shower had helped, but she was still rather keyed up as the dream lingered.

Clark quietly walked in and smiled as he saw her. God, she is gorgeous, he thought. He had been thinking about teasing her the way she'd teased him but that presented a problem. Whenever he was close to Diana his own senses seemed to go on overload. In teasing her, he was teasing himself too. When he touched her or kissed her, he didn't want to stop and wound up as frustrated as he was trying to make her. He needed another way and for once honesty was the perfect vehicle for his revenge.

Diana gasped and felt a shudder go through her as he circled his arm around her waist, brushed her hair back and kissed her neck.

"Ummm, something smells wonderful,' he whispered in her ear.

"It's-It's just toast, Kal,' she stammered, rattled by his touch.

"I wasn't talking about the toast, Diana,' he playfully whispered. She wriggled out of his grip and moved away from him.

"You're doing that on purpose,' she said to him. "You're teasing me and it's just cruel. You know I made a promise to my mother, yet you persist."

"Are you saying you don't like it,' he asked with a smile.

"No, but it's not fair."

"Huh, you seemed to think it was fair when you were doing it to me,' he replied, leaning back against the corner.

"That-That was different,' she said in her defense.

"How?"

"I was just experimenting, but you know exactly what you are doing,' she explained.

"Somehow I think you knew what you were doing too, Diana,' Clark replied.

"It's still not fair," she said. He grinned as he saw her give a slight pout. Slowly he moved over to her and put one arm on either side of her, effectively trapping her against the counter.

"Kal!"

"Okay, Diana, I won't tease you like you did to me, fair?"

"Yes."

"There is something I want you to know though,' he continued, looking deep into her eyes. "This will be just between you and I. I probably won't say it again, but I want you to know. You are the most beautiful and fascinating woman I've ever met, Diana. I might not say it, but I want you to know, that whenever I look at you, I'm thinking how much I want you. We might be in a crowded room, or the Watchtower or on a busy street somewhere, but when our eyes meet, I want you to know that's what I'm thinking."

Clark leaned in and kissed her, then turned and walked out of the room. He had a big smile on his face. Diana stood there stunned for a moment.

"Hera, help me, this is going to be the longest week of my life,' she lamented.

* * *

The Watchtower

Wally stood grinning, holding up two tickets. Shayera was looking at him and behind her Zatanna, Mari and Dinah were looking at him too. They had shocked looks on their faces.

"Boxing? You're taking her to a boxing match,' Dinah asked.

'Yes, the sweet science,' Wally replied. "There's a crafty bantamweight on the bill named Rookie Carroca that is not to be missed."

"Maybe Arbys wasn't such a bad idea,' Mari whispered to Zee. She shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"I love it," Shayera exclaimed, hugging Wally.

"You do,' Dinah said.

"You do,' Wally repeated.

"Why wouldn't I,' Shayera asked. "Blood sports, fighting, it reminds me of home!"

"Remind me never to go to her planet,' Zee offered. Mari nodded in agreement.

"This is wonderful, Wally,' Shayera said. "I must admit I was a little nervous about what you might pick."

"What? Did you think I'd take you someplace stupid,' he replied. "I just asked myself what do I know about Shayera and it came to me."

"Okay, this is getting a little thick,' Zee said. "I just stopped up to see this, but I've got a show to do. Have fun watching people beat each other up, you two."

"Oh, we will," Shayera replied.

"I didn't seriously mean…oh, forget it, and have fun."

* * *

Gotham Height

Another ceremony had finished and all the worshippers were changing clothes. Jenny seemed strangely quiet as the others excitedly talked about what had happened. She had been thinking about what they were doing for several days now. She looked up as Chubby began to address everyone.

"Wonderful stuff in there people, just wonderful,' he said. "I think we're really hitting our stride with this Satan thing. At this rate we're going to have to have another barbeque just to take care of all the goats we're sacrificing!'

The others laughed, but then Jenny spoke up.

"Um, Cubby, I was just curious, what exactly is the end game with all this?"

"Huh?"

Everyone turned and looked at her.

"You know, when you go to a fortune teller she tells your fortune. When you go to an séance you contact a spirit. If you follow that line of reasoning, what it the end result we are after, summoning a demon or actually contacting Satan?"

"That's a good question, Jenny," Cubby admitted. "I hadn't really thought of it that way."

"I don't want to meet Satan, I'll tell you that,' Bob spoke up. "You know, the horns and the stench, that doesn't sound pleasant at all."

"He'd ruin this carpet if he appeared,' LuAnn offered.

"That's true," Carl added. "I know stains from the laundry business and if Satan appears that not a stain you are getting out."

"Plus, isn't he like a big liar too,' Dottie asked. "He'd probably say all sorts of horrible things to us. You know like, yes, that shirt goes perfectly with those slacks Bob."

"What's wrong with this shirt,' Bob replied. "I love this shirt!"

"Stripes with checks, really?"

Before they could continue, Jenny spoke up again.

"So are we going for summoning a demon then? Is that what we're doing?"

"A demon doesn't sound very pleasant either,' Nancy observed. "They are always naked in the movies, which is just disgusting. Then there are the bugs."

"Hold on, I just had this place fumigated, I'm not paying to have that done again,' Cubby objected.

"So what are we shooting for,' Jenny asked.

No one had a reply.

* * *

Gotham

Zatanna was heading in the back door to the theater when she saw Constantine waiting with a bouquet of flowers. He flicked his cigarette away and smiled at her.

"Good to see you again, love."

Zatanna looked at him and then the flowers.

"These are for you,' he said, holding them out. She took them and smiled.

"Thank you, John."

"Nothing too good for you, Zee."

She eyed him suspiciously now.

"Did you buy these,' she asked.

"In a manner of speaking," he replied.

"There not from a funeral home, are they?"

"You know there's a saying, there aren't any used flowers,' he offered. She dropped them immediately.

"That's just disgusting!"

"I was joking, come on, do you really think I do that,' he asked.

"Well, kinda,' she admitted.

"You were more fun when you were younger, Zee,' he said. "I thought maybe we could rekindle those days."

Constantine stepped closer to her, bringing his hand up to touch her face.

"John, I don't think so,' she said. "I'm flattered, but that's over. Maybe you'd better just go."

"Don't I even get a chance to convince you," he asked, leaning down to kiss her.

"I believe the lady ask you to leave,' a voice said.

Constantine and Zee turned to see who it was. A man stepped out of the shadows. Zee gasped in surprised and Constantine just smiled.

"Well, hello, Mr. Wayne, hiding in the shadows seemed to suit you,' Constantine said. "This is a private conversation though, so wank off, please."

Bruce took another step closer. He was in a suit, but his eyes said he wasn't leaving. Zatanna had been watching him the whole time, not sure what was happening.

"Bruce?"


	46. Chapter 46

Fight Club

"Round Two"

Metropolis

A perfect date if you go by what you read on dating sites seemed to involve a lot of walking, especially on the beach. Everybody loves walking. Yet most of us don't live near the beach. It's cold in winter and it's hot in summer. Let's take a cab or why don't we drive? I didn't exactly wear shoes for a long hike, you know? I think I'm pitting out this shirt and we're not even halfway there yet. Yes, everyone loves walking or so they say and write on their profiles.

The old Metropolis Coliseum had stood for years. Once it was the hub of the city's sporting life, but teams demanded their own stadiums with more luxury boxes and higher revenues. There was always an unspoken threat of the team moving to help the city leaders see the need for a new stadium. The Coliseum became the second rate venue. The biggest bands didn't play there anymore, the ones on the way up or the way done did. The inner city neighborhood around the Coliseum had seen better days too.

Boxing is like the old Coliseum. Once it was the top and now it's an afterthought on the sporting landscape.

_"Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it," George Foreman._

The crowd was packed in shoulder to shoulder. The smell of sweat, blood and smoke filled the air. The only lights were on the ring or the exit signs. Palpable electricity surrounded everyone, as the shouts and jeers reverberated off the old walls and the building became an echo chamber.

"Hit him!"

"He's on Queer street!"

"Go for the body, break him up inside!"

"He's ready to go, finish him!"

Wally slowly turned and looked at his 'date', Shayera sitting next to him. A plastic cup of beer in one hand, popcorn in the other, she was shouting along with the rest of the crowd. There was something in her eyes, blood lust he guessed, that made him a little nervous.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself,' he ventured.

"Yes, this is wonderful!"

"Sorry about that last fighter getting blood on your clothes, but we are in the front row,' he offered.

"Nonsense, I loved it! These are great seats, Wally! This is the best time I've had in ages,' Shayera replied with a smile. "Oh, hey, there's the hot dog guy, get us some, will you?"

"Sure,' he said, signaling to the vendor.

"Yes! One more shot and he's going to go,' Shayera shouted, as she jumped to her feet. Wally paid for the two hot dogs and looked at her again. He thanked his lucky stars she hadn't brought her mace with her, cause she really seemed to be into it.

* * *

Gotham

John Constantine and Bruce Wayne stood ten feet apart, looking at each other. Zatanna looked back and forth at both of them. What are they going to fight over me, she wondered? That's kind of cool, I wonder who'd win? No, I've got to stop this, she thought.

"What are you doing here, Bruce,' she asked.

"I came to see you,' he replied, not taking his eye off Constantine.

"Well, get in line, mate, I was here first,' Constantine offered.

"The lady asked you to leave,' Bruce said, taking another step forward. "I think you should do as she asks."

"What are you Gotham City's white knight or something,' Constantine replied. "You rich boys always think you can do whatever you want, don't you? Christ, you act like this is your own personal city or something. Zee and I are friends, so don't try and act all heroic mate."

"I'm not going to tell you again, leave,' Bruce stated.

"Ooh, I'm all scared now,' Constantine joked.

"You should be,' Bruce replied.

"Bold talk, playboy."

Bruce took another step towards Constantine. Zatanna had been watching it all in fascination. The testosterone level was off the charts she thought. If she didn't stop this someone was going to get hurt, she realized. Well, Constantine was going to get hurt actually.

"Okay, that's enough,' she finally said. "You guys can have you pissing contest somewhere else."

"Actually it would be more of a cock fight, Zee,' Constantine said. She gave him a look, but he just smiled in return. "Heavyweight versus lightweight from the looks of it, eh, Wayne?"

Bruce just took another step closer. Zatanna stepped between the two of them.

"Whatever! You two are not fighting over me, I won't allow it,' she stated flatly.

"It wouldn't be much of a fight,' Constantine joked, looking at Bruce.

"No, it wouldn't,' Bruce replied. He took another step closer.

"Well, we agree on one thing,' Constantine said, lighting up a cigarette and blowing the smoke in Bruce's face. Zee watched his reaction and then looked at Constantine.

"Do you have a death wish,' she asked.

"What? Cause I'm smoking,' he asked. "Don't worry, love, I've already made a deal about these."

Bruce took another step closer and now Zatanna stepped in front of him to stop him getting any closer to Constantine.

"Bruce, no!"

It happened in slow motion from Zee's point of view. She could see the hairs on Constantine's hand as he reached out to push Bruce. She was shaking her head and tried to stop him, but it was too late. Bruce caught the hand before it even got close to him and with a flick of his wrist; Constantine was on his knees gasping in pain. Even as she turned towards Bruce he was leaning down close to Constantine.

"Leave, now,' Bruce whispered.

Zee was grabbing at Bruce trying to pull him away from Constantine. It took a moment but finally he released his hold on him. Constantine slumped back in shock and anger.

"Lucky," he muttered and then flicked his cigarette at Bruce's face. How he did it, Zee wasn't even sure, but Bruce caught the cigarette butt in the air.

"Not luck."

Constantine's eyes went wide in surprise and he slowly scrambled backwards. Bruce started to take a step towards him, but Zatanna stopped him. She grabbed Bruce by the lapels of his jacket and held on to him, while she turned and looked at Constantine.

"John, just go, please?"

Constantine had managed to get to his feet and was brushing himself off. He looked at Bruce and then Zee.

"Since you asked so nicely, I will,' he finally said. "I'll see you around, Zee."

He gave her a smile, then turned and walked away. They watched him disappear and then Zee turned all her attention to Bruce. She shoved him hard, almost knocking him to the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Bruce,' she demanded.

"I don't like that guy,' Bruce replied, straightening his suit. "He's a jackass."

"Yes, I know, but what does that have to do with tonight?"

"I don't like seeing you with him,' Bruce admitted. "You told him to go and if he wouldn't listen to you, he was going to listen to me."

"What are you my dad now,' she asked. "Constantine's harmless. I've known him for years. I can take care of myself, Bruce."

"I know that,' he admitted.

"What do you mean you don't like seeing me with him,' she continued.

"Just what I said,' Bruce replied. He brushed his hair back into place and his demeanor was back to calm, cool Bruce Wayne.

"Well, you don't get to decide who I see and don't see, remember,' Zatanna fired back at him. "I don't need you checking out who I'm going out with, is that clear?"

"It wasn't like that,' Bruce offered.

"I said is that clear,' Zee demanded.

"Yes, you said it loud enough, I'm sure it's clear to everyone for several blocks."

A nasty remark was just on the tip of Zee's lips, but she stopped herself. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave Bruce a look.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I wanted to see you,' he explained.

"Why?"

"Well, you haven't barged into the mansion in days and I haven't seen you on the station,' he started, but she cut him off.

"So you're checking up on me?"

"No!"

Zee had been carefully watching him the whole time and now a smile came to her face.

"You missed me, didn't you,' she asked playfully.

"Don't be ridiculous,' Bruce scoffed. She kept smiling as she walked over to him. They were standing very close. She looked up into his eyes and there was a little twinkle in hers.

"You missed me, Bruce, just say it."

"I was just worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay,' he countered.

"You missed me, admit it."

"I wasn't, I was just,' he started to deny it, but she cut him off with a kiss. He seemed taken off guard by it, but didn't pull away. He was just moving to pull her in tighter, when Zee stepped back a huge smile on her face.

"I've got a show to do, Bruce,' she said. "Thanks for saying you missed me."

"I didn't,' he said, but she was already heading in the backstage door.

"Yes you did,' she called over her shoulder. "You missed me!"

"I,' he started, but the door closed before he could finish.

"Damn! She got the last word in,' he grumbled. He stood there for a moment, looking at the door. He brought his fingers up to his lips and a smile came as he remembered the kiss. Bruce turned and slowly made his way back towards the street.

* * *

Metropolis

"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country,' Toyman shouted to his gathered toy soldiers. He was dressed in high black boots, tan pants tucked into them, a military jacket with the front covered in metals, a combat helmet and had a bubblegum cigar clamped between his teeth. "Victory, men!"

The toy soldiers raised their arms and saluted.

"Is this really necessary,' Grodd asked in disgust. "They are toys, after all."

"You have no poetry in your heart, do you,' Toyman countered.

"Little man crazy,' Grundy offered.

"Are we going to stand here all night and listen to this jerk-off or are we hitting the bank,' Livewire asked.

"And people wonder why I like the good girls,' Toyman replied.

"They don't like you though,' Cheetah pointed out.

"I'm misunderstood."

"Enough! Grodd growled and stamped his foot, shaking the room. "We each know our role, let's get on with it. Toyman, not another word or so help me, I'll tear you limp from limp before Supergirl ever gets a chance!"

"Okay! Relax,' Toyman offered. "No reason to go all primate jungle on me. Let's do this."

* * *

Gotham Heights

True to his word, Clark hadn't made any passes at Diana all day. He had looked at her, though. His words about every time he looked at her he was thinking how much he wanted her were still reverberating around in Diana's mind. When she looked at him and their eyes met, she felt a tingle go down her body. She felt flushed and excited and most of all, aroused. It wasn't that she didn't like these feelings; just that there was nothing she could do about them. To say she was a little frustrated was putting it kindly.

Dinner had been pleasant. They had ordered in and sat on opposite sides of the table, her choice. As the dinner progressed, they opened up to each other, talking about their lives, jobs and families. They shared memories of when they were both first learning how to control their powers. Diana laughed till tears rolled down her cheeks as he explained how his heat vision had first appeared and been tied to his reactions to several young women in his high school.

She always liked this side of him. He could laugh at himself much more easily than she could. She had always been nervous about appearing silly or vulnerable, but with him she could share those foolish and stupid moments that everyone has and not worry about it. She told him stories about herself that only her mother, sister and perhaps General Phillipus knew. He laughed, but it was with her not at her.

Dinner had lasted almost three hours, as they sat talking over the empty cartons. It was getting dark outside when they finally got up from the table. Clark took out the trash while Diana cleaned up the table and then the living room while she was thinking about it. She was just finishing up when she saw him standing in the doorway smiling at her.

"What?"

"You're very neat, Diana," he said.

"So?'

"Nothing, just an observation,' he replied. "I never knew that about you until we started living together. I guess there was a lot I didn't know about you before this started."

"I could say the same about you, Kal,' Diana offered. "Who knew that when you get excited your heat vision kicks in. Should I be worried?"

He laughed at her teasing him and she joined him.

"I was a lot younger than, I've got it under control now,' he replied. "I'm going to run down to the store for some ice cream, do you want anything?"

"Ice cream, again, Kal,' Diana asked.

"Chocolate, Diana."

"It's not good for you," she said. "You know that. Why not some vegetables or rice cakes?"

"No one runs down to the store after dinner for rice cakes, Diana,' Clark replied. "You know that homemade ice cream place on the edge of town has a special this week. Vanilla with blueberries, whole big chunks of blueberries mixed in with the creamiest vanilla ice cream.'

Diana stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

"Blueberries?"

"Fresh blueberries,' he said.

"All right, I guess some ice cream wouldn't hurt,' she finally agreed. "Get the chocolate, too."

"You're coming around,' he teased. He smiled at her as he headed out the door.

* * *

The Watchtower

Dinah and Jonn were on monitoring duty. A light flashed on the console and they both moved over to check on it.

"Metropolis," Dinah stated.

Jonn checked over the Intel coming in and then glanced at Dinah.

"Who do we have in Metropolis?"

"Well, Steel and Supergirl,' Dinah replied, as she checked the logs. "I think Mary Marvel and Stargirl are with her. Why?"

"This is not good,' Jonn said. "It seems the central bank is being robbed. Grodd, Livewire, Cheetah, Grundy and Killer Frost have teamed up."

"Interesting mix, but Steel, Supergirl, Mary Marvel and Stargirl should be able to handle it,' Dinah stated. "Just in case, though, I'll call up a couple of others to assist."

"Call up more than a few, Dinah,' Jonn said. "Toyman is also with them."

"Oh, God, they are going to kill him,' Dinah groaned. "Well, that leaves out calling Zatanna, Power Girl, Mari and most of the other women in the League."

"I think we should get down there, as well,' Jonn offered. "I will try and slow them down until Superman gets there."

"I'll call Diana too,' Dinah said.

They snapped into action, calling Mr. Terrific to take over control.

* * *

Gotham Heights

Diana had cleaned up everything and decided to take a nice hot bath while she waited for Kal to get back with ice cream. As she lit some candles and added some exotic oils and salts from back home, Dian turned off the lights. It was one of the indulgences she allowed herself. Slipping out of her clothes, she stepped lighting into the water. She smiled as the heat registered against her skin.

"Ah,' she sighed, as she submerged herself in the water. Bubbles covered the surface, as steam rose up. Jasmine, sandalwood, orchids were but a few of the scents that mixed together. It reminded her of home and the ornate baths of the palace. Closing her eyes, she dipped under the water letting it soak her face and hair. It felt as if the hot water were easing all the tension from her muscles. She let her mind drift.

One of the stories that Kal had told at dinner came back to her. It was about a misadventure in high school with a girl and Red Kryptonite. Diana knew about Green Kryptonite and it's effect on him, but she had never heard about Red Kryptonite. He had told the story in a very amusing and self deprecating way, but Diana found herself trying to imagine what he would be like under Red Kryptonite's effects.

Lying there in the water, her eyes closed, Diana tried to picture Kal without his normal inhibitions and caution. She was leisurely washing her arms with the washcloth as her imagination began to fill in the details of his story. This time, though, it wasn't some high school girl with Kal in Las Vegas, but Diana.

They were in the honeymoon suite in a small hotel. Again it was that huge garish red heart-shaped bed in the middle of the room. She pictured herself in a white nightgown kneeling on the bed, smiling at him. He was slowly taking off his clothes, his eyes never leaving her. Diana absently ran the washcloth over her collarbone and then a little lower on her chest. Again her imagination was very good at filling in the details. He stood naked before her, their eyes locked. He wanted her. He didn't even have to say it, she knew from his gaze.

Diana shifted deeper into the tub; the washcloth making it's way down her tone, muscular stomach. Her other hand dreamily joined it touching her body under the water and bubbles. She imagined them coming together, claiming each others' lips in a storm of unbridled passion. The washcloth moved a little lower and a small gasped escaped Diana's lips. Her legs opened slightly wider, her hand and the washcloth dipping down between them.

In her imagination, Kal was ripping her nightgown off, the two of them falling back on the heart-shaped bed. His hands and lips seemed to be everywhere at once, devouring her. A low moan came from Diana's lips as the washcloth moved faster, her body starting to unconsciously rock against it. In her mind, she was on top of him, shifting her body lower, kissing his chest, as she moved to center herself over him. They held each others' eyes as she slowly lowered herself onto him. They both gasped. Diana felt something building as she lay in the tub, her fantasy rushing forward. It came on so strong and fast, she gasp and groaned under its intensity. Just as she was about to peak, her League communicator went off. Diana opened her eyes, but her peak hit at just that moment. Her body seemed to lock up and she let out a scream of intense pleasure as she was overwhelmed by the sensations. The moment seemed to last an eternity, as she hung suspended outside of time.

Diana's mouth hung slack, as wave after wave crashed over her. Dimly she heard the communicator beeping, but she was too involved in what was happening within her to care. Slowly the sensations began to lessen and it suddenly occurred to her what had just happened. The communicator beeped again. Diana was suddenly fully conscious of where she was and what was happening. She blushed, as she looked around, afraid someone had seen her. The communicator beeped again, startling her and she thrashed a bit in the tub, trying to get out. Frantically she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her still trembling body. With shaking fingers, she picked up the communicator and tried to calm herself down before answering it.

"Hello,' she finally managed to say.

"Diana, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something,' Dinah's voice came over the communicator.

"NO!" Diana shouted in alarm, her face beet red.

"Um, ah, okay,' Dinah awkwardly replied. "There-There's a situation in Metropolis, a bank robbery. Are you sure I didn't interrupt something?"

"No, I was just finishing,' Diana immediately replied, and the blushed even more. Thank the Gods this is only a voice communicator she thought.

"Right," Dinah replied. "Anyway, Grodd, Cheetah and some others are involved. I wouldn't normally call you two."

"Kal's not here!" Diana interrupted, suddenly mortified that Dinah might think they were, well, you know.

"Are you sure you're okay, Diana,' Dinah asked. "You sound a little out of breath."

"I-I-I was, um, ah, exercising, yes that it's, I was exercising,' Diana stammered to explain.

"Great, look, whatever you do down there is your business, okay, but the thing is, Toyman is involved in the robbery,' Dinah continued. "Kara, Mary Marvel and Stargirl are in Metropolis and you know what they think of Toyman."

"They hate him."

"Yes, so could you two get there as quick as you can?'

"Yes, of course,' Diana said, already moving into action.

"Great and again, sorry for interrupting whatever you were doing,' Dinah said.

"I was exercising, I swear,' Diana exclaimed.

"Okay than, I'll see you in a little while," Dinah replied and the ended the communication. Diana put the communicator down and quickly dried herself off. She was already getting into her uniform, but her mind was on other things. Dinah knows what I was doing, Diana frantically thought. I could hear it in her voice and now everyone will know, Diana worried. No, don't be silly, she told herself, she doesn't know anything, it's just your imagination running away with you, again.

Diana was still flustered and unsettled as she came down the stairs just as Clark arrived back from the ice cream store. Diana blushed as she saw him, her fantasy in the tub still fresh in her mind.

"Um, ah, there is an emergency in Metropolis,' she offered.

"Yes, Dinah contacted me,' he replied. "They are going to beam us up from here. I'll just put this ice cream in the freezer and we can go."

"Right,' Diana said, shifting awkwardly not sure what to do with her hands. Clark nodded and went into the kitchen. He came back out dressed in his uniform.

"You ready,' he asked.

"Yes,' Diana replied, coming over to where he was to beam up.

"Did you take a bath,' he suddenly asked. Diana's eyes went wild in shock, but she managed to stop herself from gasping.

"Um, yes, why,' she asked him as calmly as she could.

"I thought I smelled a different fragrance on you,' he replied. "I know you like to add different scents to your bath."

"Yes, I do,' she agreed.

"I like this one, you should use it again,' he offered with a smile.

"Maybe at the end of this week," Diana muttered.

"Hmm? What?"

"Um, yes, I think I will,' she quickly said. Diana desperately wanted to change the subject. "Let's beam up!"

He nodded and the transporter began. Clark didn't see Diana blushing as they disappeared from the living room.

* * *

Metropolis

The fights were over and Wally and Shayera drifted out with the crowd. She was excited and even did a little shadow boxing.

"Oh, I loved it, I love it,' she happily said. "Thanks Wally, this was an amazing night."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Both their communicators went off and they answered them. Dinah filled them in on the situation.

"We're on it, Dinah, oh and bring my mace with you," Shayera said.

"Well so much for our date,' Wally groaned.

"Are you kidding,' Shayera replied. "This might be the best date I've ever been on! Boxing and now a battle! I might even sleep with you this has been so great!"

She laughed and launched herself into the air, flying towards the bank robbery. Wally stood there with a shocked look on his face for a moment. Suddenly a grin came to his lips.

"This is going to be the luckiest night of my life!" He shouted with joy and then raced off to the bank.


	47. Chapter 47

Promises

"You Set My Soul on Fire"

Metropolis

Wally was the first on the scene, as usual. The entire sidewall of the central bank had been ripped open. Standing at the entrance were Live Wire, Grundy, Cheetah, Toyman and his toy army. The toy army was a hodge-podge of green army men, knights on toy horses, ninjas and samurais, cowboys and Indians, Roman Legionnaires along with soldiers and fighting figures out of stories and films. Toyman chewed the end of his bubblegum cigar as he marched back and forth in front of them.

"You're all good men,' he shouted to his ranks. "Remember, winning is it's own reward for you! I'm going to keep the money. When those heroes get here, you're going to hit them hard and hit them again and again, cause you're tough! I'm not going to lie to you; this is going to get tough! But what happens when the going gets tough?"

The toy soldiers just silently stood there looking at him. Toyman stopped and took the bubblegum cigar from his mouth.

'Oh, right, sorry, I forgot most of you guys don't talk," Toyman said. "Well, the tough get going, that's what happens! Now I want you all to pay special attention to a couple of cuties. One has an S on her chest and the other has a lighting bolt. Don't let their hotness fool you, they're crazy chicks and can't take a compliment! Ah, I love the smell of plastic in the morning, it reminds me of victory!"

"I think I'm going to kill him if the Justice League doesn't,' Live Wire grumbled.

"Give it up, guys,' Wally called out. "The Justice League is on the way. It's over!"

In answer, Live wire sent several shocks of electricity at him. Wally dodged them, but they seemed to turn and follow him.

"They never want to do it the easy way,' he lamented. As he zigzagged back and forth avoiding the electricity, toy helicopters suddenly appeared and began strafing the area. "Hey! One at a time, guys!"

Shayera finally arrived just as Dinah and Jonn transported in.

"Shayera!" Dinah called out, tossing her mace in the air. A big smile came to Shayera's face as she caught her mace and headed for the toy helicopters.

"What did you guys walk?' Wally shouted.

"It appears we are in luck,' Jonn said. "We arrived before Supergirl did."

"Maybe we finally caught a break,' Dinah started to reply, but then the area exploded with music. "What the hell?"

"It's a military band,' Toyman shouted with glee. "With those fishnets on how about a little dance, honey? I'm sure there's a pole around here somewhere."

"Don't let him bother you, Dinah,' Jonn warned.

"He doesn't, Jonn, I've heard a lot worse,' Dinah replied.

"Finally one of you doesn't go all hormonal,' Toyman sighed. "You're hot, babe, but sadly a little old for my tastes."

"Okay, now he's pissed me off,' Dinah grumbled, clenching her fists in anger.

"What are all you gals cycling with the moon or something?"

Dinah took a step towards Toyman, but suddenly Cheetah leapt at her from behind. The two women rolled on the pavement, wrestling.

"I've fought Wonder Woman, so you should be no trouble,' Cheetah rasped in Dinah's face.

"You also lost to her every time,' Dinah replied, kicking Cheetah off her.

"Ooh, cat fight! Cat fight!" Toyman shouted, as he jumped up and down. "What's the matter, Martian, don't they have cat fights back home?"

"Your taunts are useless against me, Toyman, I will not be angered by them,' Jonn replied.

"Well, aren't you soooooo mature,' Toyman mocked. "How about some fire then, Scarecrow?"

Toy soldiers with flamethrowers stepped forth and unleashed a volley of fire directly at Jonn. A primal fear gripped him and he turned transparent, dissolving into the pavement.

"Guess he decided to burn and run, ha!" Toyman laughed and then turned to watch the cat fight between Dinah and Cheetah. As he did, he suddenly came face to face with Shayera.

"Aaaawwwwww!" he screamed and jumped back.

"No pervy comments, Toyman,' she sarcastically asked, raising her mace to hit the soldiers coming at her.

"Um, ah, you have a nice ass,' he offered.

"Why you little bastard!" Shayera screamed.

"You asked!"

* * *

Metropolis – Above the scene

Kara, Courtney and Mary were flying towards the scene of the robbery. They had been delayed by a rescue.

"I can't believe you made us stop to get that kid's cat out of a tree, Mary,' Kara groused.

"It was a cute kitty and the little boy was so happy,' Mary replied, defending herself.

"It's a big city, Mary! It has firemen, you know!"

"Down there,' Courtney shouted. "There's the bank robbery! Oh, wait, is that? Oh, I'm so going to hurt him!"

"Who,' Mary asked, as she turned to look down.

"Toyman!" Kara growled, clinching her fists in anger.

"Toyman, that bastard,' Courtney shouted.

"AAARRRRRRRRRRR,' Mary just growled and put on a burst of speed heading straight for him.

"There she goes again,' Courtney screamed. "Get her Kara!"

"What's the hurry,' Kara asked, slowing down a bit.

"Don't be a bitch, Kara, she's going to kill him,' Courtney replied. "If she kills him I'll never hear the fucking end of it from Billy!"

"How did you ever think you could keep your promise not to swear,' Kara said. "You're like a fountain of dirty talk, you know?"

"Shut up and get down there!"

"Oh, alright, since you got one whole sentence out without swearing."

Kara put on a burst of speed and headed after Mary. Courtney watched her for a moment, before following.

"Bitch," Courtney said under her breath.

"I heard that!" Kara shouted over her shoulder.

* * *

The Street Below

Shayera was fighting her way through wave after wave of green army men, storm troopers and Knights who say 'Ni', all the while getting angrier and angrier.

"Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!"

"Would you please shut the hell up?" She shouted, swinging her mace back and forth trying to clear a path. Dinah had broken away from Cheetah and turned to assist Shayera. She let out sonic burst knocking a whole squad of toy soldiers out of the way.

"NI! Ni! ni!" The stragglers slowly said in diminishing voices. Dinah turned towards Toyman and couldn't help the smile on her face.

"Knights who say 'Ni" really?"

"Well, they're knights, fighters,' he explained, as he dodged behind some of his toy soldiers. "Wait till the rabbit gets here!"

Despite herself, Dinah started laughing. Wally and Shayera turned and looked at her in shock.

"You find this funny,' Shayera shouted, as green army men latched on to her wings trying to pull her down to the ground.

"I think Cheetah must have hit her in the head,' Wally offered, pulling green army men off Shayera.

"It's just so stupid and silly,' Dinah tried to justify between laughs. The ground behind her suddenly shifted and morphed into Plastic Man. He did not look happy.

"You laugh at him,' Plastic Man shouted. "Toyman, that pervert? I've told you a million jokes and all you do is shout for me to get out, but he does one stupid thing and you laugh? I don't believe you? Here I finally thought we were on the escalator of love and you wound me like this!"

"The escalator of what,' Dinah replied in confusion. "Look, I can't help it, I just…"

Her explanation was cut off as Cheetah attacked her again. The two of the plunged into the crowd of soldiers, fighting as they rolled over and over. Plastic Man had a hurt look on his face as he moved to help her.

* * *

Inside the Bank

Grodd and Killer Frost were stuffing bags with money and gold from the vault. Frost turned and looked at the mayhem just outside.

"Brilliant plan, Grodd, it looks like the whole Justice League is out there,' she said. "Why did you have to include Toyman in this, anyway?"

Grodd stopped what he was doing for a moment and looked at her.

"Because he's an annoying little bastard,' Grodd explained. "If that rumble you hear is what I think it is, the Justice League will be too busy with him to worry about us. We get to walk scot free and have more to split."

The rumble got louder and Frost began to smile.

"Maybe you are as smart as you say,' she offered.

"Smarter, my dear, smarter."

* * *

Outside

The rumble was even louder on the street. As they continued to fight, everyone turned to see toy soldiers being tossed haphazardly out of the way. Mary Marvel suddenly appeared and she was pissed.

"Toyman!" She shouted, flying straight for him.

"Oh, Jeez, time to call in the reserves,' Toyman nervously said. He pressed a button on his belt and suddenly another wave of toy soldiers joined the fight. A rather large one landed right on top of Mary sending her bouncing off the pavement.

"Night Elf Mohawk, take that,'' Toyman shouted happily. He gave a smirk as he looked at Mary sprawled on the ground. "I see London, I see France, and I see Mary Marvel's underpants! Hee-Hee!"

"You dirty bastard,' she shouted, pulling her skirt down quickly.

"What? I saved that one just for you,' Toyman replied. "I thought you'd be flattered!"

As she rose, glaring at him, two red beams flashed down from the sky and cut the medals off Toyman uniform.

"AAAAA!" He screamed in shock and then looked up. Kara was hovering above the mêlée and she looked almost as pissed as Mary did.

"The next blast is going to be aimed a lot lower, you little pervert,' Kara shouted.

"AAAAA! Mohawks, Knights of Ni defend your leader,' Toyman squealed in panic, crossing his hands in front of him. Toy soldiers seemed to drop from the sky, grabbing at Kara and Courtney pulling them down to the street where other toys soldiers were waiting to jump on them.

"Watch the fucking hands! God! Even his toys are perverted,' Courtney shouted.

"NI! NI! NI!"

"When I get my hands on you Toyman," Kara grumbled as she shook off toy soldiers left and right and continued towards him.

"GRRRRRRRRR!" Mary Marvel grunted in anger, spinning faster and faster, smashing all the toys around her.

"Grundy! Don't just stand there you freak, help me,' Toyman shouted.

"Grundy waiting for Superman," he replied. "I know my part of plan, little man."

"Screw the plan, improvise!"

"Improvisation not my strong suit,' Grundy admitted.

"Learn!"

Kara and Mary were getting closer and closer all the time. Toyman began to back up, but just as he was about to turn and run, Mary broke through and lunged at him.

"GRRRRR!" She growled at him, even as his Mohawks jumped on her again.

"AAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Toyman screamed in panic and took off running.

* * *

On the Edge of the battle

Superman and Wonder Woman transported in. They were both ready for any attack.

"Let's see what the situation is,' Clark offered, but he was cut off.

"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!" Toyman screamed as he came running by. He saw Clark and Diana and stopped. He gave Diana a rather lingering, lecherous look.

"Finally the A team shows up,' he said and then gave Diana another leer. "In your case, the T and A team, sweetheart!"

"Why you dirty little…," Diana started to shout, but an even louder shouting cut this off.

"Toyman!" Kara and Courtney were rushing straight for him.

"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!" He squealed again and took off running.

"Well, I guess we know what the situation is now,' Clark drily said. "Help me stop these two, please, Diana."

"Why,' she replied. "Let them tear him a new one as Kara says."

"I knew she was going to be a bad influence on you,' Clark grumbled. "Please?'

"Oh, all right,' Diana grumbled.

"Stop, Kara, Courtney, stop right now,' Clark said, stepping in front of them. Diana reluctantly stepped to his side.

"Oh, come on,' Kara lamented. "You never let me hit anyone, Kal!"

"Kara, you want to kill him,' Clark pointed out.

"No, just rip his head off and stuff it up his…" She replied.

"I think that would kills him, Kara,' Diana offered. "Although, it would shut him up."

"See? Even Diana agrees with me,' Kara grumbled. "You never want me to have any fun!"

Courtney was trying to use this exchange to quietly slip around them, but Diana had her eye on her.

"Star girl, stop right there."

"Fuck," Courtney said at being caught.

"Excuse me, young lady,' Diana replied in shock at her language.

"Sorry."

"Get the fucking hell out of my way, bitches, damn it,' Mary suddenly shouted, pushing Kara out of he way.

"Jeez, Mary I'm on your side,' Kara groused.

"I'm not a bitch,' Courtney shouted, her feelings hurt.

Mary suddenly stopped as Superman and Wonder Woman confronted her.

"Mary?"

Diana looked at the young hero, shocked at how angry she was. Her language wasn't helping either.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Wonder Woman, Mr. Superman,' Mary suddenly offered rather meekly.

"Ladies, we don't let personally feelings affect how we do this,' Clark said firmly. "I want you to act like adults and be mature about this."

Suddenly Shayera came flying over them.

"I'm going to kill that little bastard,' she shouted, gripping her mace with both hands. Kara, Courtney and Mary looked at each other and then took off after Shayera. Clark put his hand to his face and groaned.

"I thought I had them there for a moment,' he said.

Before Diana could reply, Grundy barreled into Clark, crashing them both into a building.

"Kal!"

"I'll handle this, Diana, you have to stop them,' he shouted.

"I'd rather help you,' she offered. He punched Grundy, sending him reeling back. Clark moved over to Diana.

"Diana, please,' He started. "Look at me. If you do this, when we have that date at the end of this week, we'll do anything you want, I promise."

"Anything,' Diana asked, the image of a heart-shaped bed suddenly coming to her mind.

"Anything, I promise."

"Well, all right, but I'm going to remember your promise,' she replied.

"I'm sure you will,' he said with a smile and then turned as Grundy attacked again. Diana stood there for a moment watching them, but then turned and headed off after the three teenage heroes. She sympathized with them, but more pressing desires trumped their killing Toyman.

* * *

Gotham

Bruce had heard all about the bank heist in Metropolis, but Mr. Terrific assured him the situation was being handled. Frankly he wanted no part in trying to stop Kara, Courtney and Mary. He'd seen the mood they were in the last time they met Toyman, so he was happy to let Clark and the others deal with it. He was currently perched high atop a building in downtown. He was the Batman. There had been some suspicious activity in this area lately, so he was here to nip it in the bud.

The hairs on Bruce's neck stood up as the air behind him seemed to transmute and shimmer. He didn't even turn around, as he knew it was her.

"So what are we looking for,' Zatanna asked as she came up and stood next to him.

"WE are not looking for anything,' Batman said. "I'm working, Zatanna."

"Wow, you are really deep into the whole Batman thing tonight,' she observed.

"What are you doing here,' he asked.

"Well you missed me earlier, so I thought I'd drop by after my show,' she explained. "I have to admit, I was expecting a better welcome than this, Bruce."

"I never said I missed you,' he objected.

"Sure you did, right after you went all jealousy boyfriend on Constantine," she replied.

"I don't remember that at all,' Bruce grumbled. "Then again, you always did have a overactive imagination."

Zatanna folded her arms in front of her and gave Bruce a look.

"And to think I almost let you kiss me,' she complained.

"Ha! You kissed me as I remember,' Bruce countered. Zee smiled now.

"See, I knew you remembered," she teased.

"You are such a snot, you know that don't you?"

"That must be part of why you missed me,' she continued teasing.

"All right, I can see you're never going to let that go,' Bruce replied. "Yes, I missed you, but don't read too much into it, please? This isn't the place for you, Zee. This is my world and you…"

"Oh, God, you're not really going to use the different worlds excuse on me, are you? You should copyright it, you get so much use out of it,' she said, cutting him off.

Bruce turned fully towards her now, the original reason he was here forgotten.

"It's not an excuse, it's a fact,' he said.

"Blah-blah-blah, Bruce,' Zee countered. "For your information, I don't want to live in your world anyway. It's grimy, dirty and stinks, why would I? I just like dropping in now and then, is that so bad?"

"You don't want," Bruce started in surprise. "It's not grimy."

"You keep telling yourself that,' Zee replied. "Besides, I've got a life of my own, you know. I hate to burst your bubble, but not everyone dreams of sitting up in Wayne Mortuary waiting for you to come home.'

"Mansion,' he corrected her.

"Shut up,' she fired back. "Look, I know who you are; Bruce and I know you're not going to change. I don't expect you too. I'm not going to change either. I just thought we might be able to not change together sometimes, you know?"

Bruce was completely caught off guard by this. She had a way of doing that to him.

"I think I'd like that,' he admitted. This brought a big smile to her face.

"Good, I would too,' she added. "Jeez, did you think I wanted you to do what Clark and Diana are doing? Really? I know you could never do that in a million years."

"That's not true,' he objected. "If they can do it, I certainly could.'

"Never," she laughed. "Look, I'll let you get back to your Lone Wolf thing now."

"Not lone wolf, dark knight, if you want to be technical,' he corrected. "And I most certainly could do it."

"Yeah, whatever,' Zee said dismissively. "Look how about breakfast tomorrow? Say ten? I'll wake you up?'

"Make it ten thirty, I'll probably be here awhile,' Bruce replied. He actually smiled as he looked at her.

* * *

Metropolis

"AAAIIIIIEEEEEE!"

"Come back here and take your beating like a man," Kara shouted, ripping toy soldiers in half, left and right.

"Ninjas! Samurai! The sexy little thing in the short skirt, stop her,' Toyman squealed. "The one with the lightening bolt too. Hell, just stop all of them!"

With the marching band playing and the general chaos of the scene, it was impossible to hear the ninjas and samurai descend down nylon ropes to cut off Toyman's pursuers. Smoke bombs erupted all around and a thick cloud covered everything. Diana finally managed to catch up with the three and Shayera, just as the toy warriors attacked. Their swords flashed and slashed out. Diana raised her bracelets to block them and was surprised the swords didn't break. It seemed Toyman made at least one thing of high quality.

As the others began battling the toys, Kara took a rather direct approach. She just waded into to them, letting their swords bounce off her, as she punched and kicked her way forward.

"I'm coming you little prick,' she shouted through the smoke. Suddenly a large figure came barreling through the haze and drove it's shoulder into her midsection, driving her back.

"That's a big fucking night elf Mohawk,' Courtney gasped, as she continued to fight.

"Star Girl, language,' Diana chastised her.

"Sorry, Wonder Woman."

"It is pretty damn big, Diana," Shayera commented.

The large toy stood up and glared at them.

"Not a night elf Mohawk, a Night F-ing Mohawk,' it shouted.

"F this,' Kara growled, punching her fist through the toy's chest and out the back.

"RRRRRRRRRR,' Mary screamed and raced forward into the fog. She suddenly came flying back out. The silhouettes of a whole squad of Night F-ing Mohawks began visible.

"I'm going to kill him,' Kara grumbled.

"NO,' Diana shouted. "Nobody's killing anyone. I sympathize, I do, but it's really, really important that you don't. Please, for me, don't kill him!'

The others looked at Diana and saw her almost pleading with her eyes and they reluctantly agreed.

"Oh, all right, for you,' Kara grumbled.

"Okay,' Courtney said.

"Shayera,' Diana said.

"No killing him, yeah, okay."

"Mary?"

"No!"

"What,' Diana said in surprise.

"I want to kill the little bastard!"

"Mary Marvel, that's enough of that sort of language from you,' Diana firmly said. "Is that clear young lady?"

"Yes, sorry,' Mary replied, dropping her head in embarrassment at being yelled at by Wonder Woman.

* * *

On the other side of the haze, Toyman had a whole troop of samurai waiting. He rushed behind them and glanced back in terror.

"Boys, it's up to you! Stop anyone that comes through that smoke!"

He took off, heading down one of the side alleys. He almost felt safe, when he saw a tall figure dressed in black step out of the shadows. Several toy samurai lay at her feet and she held up two of their swords.

"Not bad."

"Who the hell are you,' Toyman gasped. "You must be new to the League. I like the bondage gear, but … AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

He screamed in pain as a whip flicked out of the darkness and wrapped around his throat. His whole body shook as the electrical current overloaded his system. The whip flicked back and his unconscious body fell to the ground.

* * *

Diana, Shayera, Kara, Courtney and Mary were fighting their way through the fog and the seemingly endless array of toy soldiers. Diana had picked up one of the fallen swords and was using it with expert skill. Shayera waded in with her mace, smashing everything in sight. Star girl floated up, using her staff to fire short energy bursts through the Mohawks and ninjas. Kara and Mary simply punched and kicked their way forward. Slowly, they made headway and soon the resistance failed.

"Kara, can you do something about this smoke and fog,' Diana asked. Kara nodded and drew a deep breath, sucking the smoke in and then expelling it up into the night. As it cleared they all stopped as they saw the limp body of Toyman lying on the ground. They moved cautiously towards him, finishing off the last of the toy soldiers. Diana knelt down and checked him and found he was alive but unconscious.

"He's out,' she said to the others.

"Lucky bastard,' Kara grumbled. Mary silently walked over and kicked him.

"Mary!"

"I didn't kick him that hard,' she quietly justified.

"Can I kick him too,' Courtney asked.

"NO,' Diana firmly stated.

"The others," Shayera said, seeming to remember how this started. "I'm going to go back and help the others."

She lifted off and started to fly back.

"We should all help them,' Diana suggested.

"You go ahead, I'll stay and watch Toyman,' Kara offered. Diana gave her a look. "What?"

She gave Diana her sweetest, most innocent look.

"I'll stay, " Diana replied. "You three go."

"Damn it,' Kara muttered. The three of them reluctantly headed back to the bank.

Once they were gone, Diana bent down and examined Toyman's body closer. She could see the burnt skin around his neck and a tremor went up her spine. She had seen this before.

The sound of metal scrapping against the pavement had Diana standing and on guard. She could see two swords being dragged and the sparks flying off of them.

"So you survived, Princess. Well I guess I'll have to finish what I started."

Diana gritted her teeth and raised her sword as she saw the figure emerge from the shadows.

"Lashina!"


	48. Chapter 48

Warriors

"Come out to Play-i-ay"

Metropolis

The Alley

Diana vs. Lashina: Round Two

They stood facing each other, two warriors, one of light and the other of darkness. As they looked at each other everything else, the marching toy band, the battle, the knights who say NI, all faded into the background.

This was about them now.

Somehow they both had known this moment would come. It was inevitable. Just as Batman would always face the Joker or Superman face Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman would face Lashina. They were mortal enemies and knew it from the moment they first met.

The reasons were many and involved others, but the truth was much simpler. Like the Snake and the Mongoose, it was an elemental thing between them. One's Gods had blessed her, while the other had been tortured by her God. One had trained from the earliest age to fight and honor her people, while the other had brutally trained only to win, no matter the cost. In many ways they were mirror images of each other, strong, beautiful and deadly. That they both cared for the same man was ironic, but even without this they were destined to clash.

As they slowly moved towards each other, the only thought in either of their heads was to beat the other. Diana picked up a garbage can lid to use as a shield. Lashina began to slowly weave her twin swords back and forth in front of her. While she was known for her whips, she was equally deadly with other weapons. A cold, cruel smile came to her lips as she saw the scar on Diana's chest.

"I've left my mark on you, Princess."

"It will fade,' Diana calmly replied.

"But the memory won't, will it?"

"No."

A satisfied laugh came from Lashina's lips. The swords began to move faster and faster in front of her, becoming almost a blur. While Diana was the stronger of the two, Lashina was probably a fraction faster. They were equally matched. They circled each other, for even in their dislike for the other, they knew they were formidable foes. They knew the outcome of this was in doubt and only their best would do.

Lashina struck first, both swords slashing out at Diana. She blocked one with her sword and the other with the garbage can lid. She felt the power behind each blow. Lashina pressed forward, as she was the natural aggressor. They circled each other, steel against steel, moving at a speed no mortal could achieve. Parry, thrust, block, slash, counterattack, constantly circling, almost like a violent and deadly ballet. Neither made a mistake, for even the slightest one would turn the battle against them.

They were playing for blood.

* * *

The Bank

The scene in front of the bank was chaos. The toy soldiers seemed everywhere. The marching band refused to yield, even as the main players tried to take the field. They played at a manic pace, The Battle Hymn of the Republic on 78 instead of 45. Squads of green army men rushed the heroes trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. A company of toys with flamethrowers randomly fired bursts in every direction, setting everything on fire. Mohawks, Knights who say NI, ninjas and samurais battled Shayera, Wally, Plastic Man, Kara, Courtney and Mary.

At the center of it all was Superman. He was slugging it out with Grundy, dodging blasts from Live Wire, while all the time toys continued to attack him.

"Grundy smash!"

"Thanks, I got the idea."

Away from the main fight, Dinah and Cheetah were locked in their own struggle. Strength and ferocity were on Cheetah's side, but skill and cool logic was on Dinah's. They were equal in speed. They were like a high wire act, acrobatic and ferocious. Tumbling, somersaulting, spinning, kicks and punches continued to land on both.

Wally made his way through the melee to Shayera and they concentrated on breaking through to toys to get to the bank. Fighting side by side, they were starting to make headway.

"Pour it on, we're almost there,' she shouted.

"Right,' he replied, but another thought was on his mind. "By the way, were you serious about what you said after the boxing match?"

"What?"

"You know about sleeping with me,' he added. "Cause I'm totally down with that, I just wanted you to know."

"You're bringing that up now,' Shayera replied. "I was joking!"

"Wow, that's kind of a cruel joke, Shayera,' Wally lamented. "I mean to get a guy's hopes up like that. A woman says that to a guy, that's all he's going to be able to think about, you know?"

"Could we discuss this after the fight, please,' she shouted.

"Is that another joke,' he snidely offered. "String the guy along so he'll do what you want?"

"He has a point, Shayera,' Kara added. "If you're going to shoot him down, just give to him straight. I'm sure he's used to it by now."

"Oh, aren't you funny,' Wally remarked. Kara had a big smile on her face as they looked at each other.

"Would you mind? This is a private conversation,' Shayera shouted to Supergirl.

"Just trying to help, she offered.

"Who," Wally asked.

"Premarital sex is wrong,' Mary Marvel added. "You should wait until you're married."

"What century are you living in," Wally asked incredulously.

"Yeah, like really.' Kara laughed in agreement. She looked at Wally and they both shook their heads in disbelief.

"Mary should be in black and white like a fifties TV show or something,' Wally added.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean,' Mary shouted in rage.

"Easy, it was just a joke, Mary,' Kara quickly said. Mary glared at the two of them, but then turned her attention back to ripping toys apart. Wally managed to move closer to Kara.

"What's with her, anyway,' he whispered.

'I don't know, hormones, I guess,' Kara replied.

"Maybe she's the one that needs to get laid,' Wally offered.

"Yeah, right, why don't you suggest that to her,' Kara said with a laugh.

"Are you two talking about me,' Mary shouted.

"NO!"

* * *

The Alley

Lashina's sword nicked Diana's leg cutting it open. She held up the sword in satisfaction.

"First blood, Princess,' Lashina said. She brought the sword to her lips and licked the blood. "Mmm, nothing tastes quite so sweet."

"Is there no end to your depravity?"

"What's the matter, Princess, squeamish,' Lashina taunted. "I was trained to relish victory at all costs."

"And defeat,' Diana asked.

"Unacceptable."

"And yet you want a man that goes against everything you were taught,' Diana offered. "How the lackeys back on Apokolips must be laughing at you, Lashina."

"This is not about him!" Lashina roared and lunged at Diana. She countered, blocking the sword while pivoting away. Diana smiled now. While she had many gifts, they were not all about fighting, but could aid her in a time like this. Wisdom and the truth were foremost among those.

"No, it's not about him, Lashina,' Diana said. "This is about you and I. It always has been, hasn't it?"

"Yes, Princess, we both know it, don't we?"

"Yes," Diana replied, shifting to the side, waiting for an opening. "But even if I was out of the picture, you would never have him, Lashina. Some part of you knows that, don't you, yet the desire is still there? That's your weakness it's it?"

"Shut up!"

"You've fallen for a good and decent man, Lashina,' Diana continued. She wanted to push Lashina into a rash move and the truth was the best way. "What would Darkseid or Granny think of your weakness, Lashina? They think only of how they can use him, but you just want him, don't you?"

"Yes,' Lashina admitted. It sounded like a hiss coming from her lips.

"Yet to have him you have to change or he does,' Diana said. "If he changes, he ceases being the man you want, doesn't he? The very things that draw you to him would be gone. He'd be another cruel heartless demi-God like all the rest. Is that what you really want, Lashina?"

Lashina started to reply, but stopped. Somehow the Princess had hit on the very problem that Lashina had been wrestling with this whole time. She had still not found a satisfactory answer. She wanted him, yet she would have to destroy the very thing that made her want him in the first place to have him.

"Even if you do kill me today, Lashina, you still lose,' Diana flatly stated.

"Let's put that theory to the test, Princess!"

Lashina renewed her assault, forcing Diana backwards, but none of her blows were getting through.

* * *

At the Bank

Superman was winning against Grundy, but the toys kept grabbing on to him. As soon as he flicked them away, others took their place. Live Wire had connected several times and he could still feel the sting. He was feeling claustrophobic, annoyed and worried, as he hadn't seen Diana in some time. Ripping several toys off his head and neck, Clark used his vision to scan the area. It took only a moment to spot Diana. He felt a wave of anger come over him as he saw her battling with Lashina.

"NO!"

He caught Grundy's fist, just as it was about to hit him again.

"Grundy smash!" The pale monster bellowed, but he couldn't break away from Superman's hold. Clark needed to get to Diana. He turned and found his cousin.

"Kara!"

"Yeah,' she replied, punching out more toys.

"You wanted to hit something? Here, hit Grundy,' he said, shoving the large villain out of his way. "Don't hold back, either!"

A smile lit up Kara's face as she heard this.

"He does care,' she happily said. As Grundy stumbled towards her, Kara hauled off and hit him with all her strength, sending him flying into the ruined bank wall.

"Can I hit him too, Mr. Superman,' Mary asked.

"Yes, but don't kill him,' Clark replied. He turned his attention to the others. "Wally, take care of Live Wire. Plastic Man neutralize those flamethrowers and Shayera find Grodd and Killer Frost! Jonn, I know you can hear me, help Shayera, please."

This was a part of Clark that only came out in a battle. He was a natural leader and the others acknowledged it without even thinking.

"What do you want me to do, Superman,' Courtney asked.

"Help clear the way for Shayera and Jonn, Star Girl. I'm counting on all of you."

Toys still clinging to him, he rose up from the street like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Spinning at impossible speeds, he dislodged he toys and streaked towards Diana and Lashina. The others jumped into action with a purpose.

* * *

The Alley

The battle went back and forth, steel continually meeting steel yet no one had the upper hand. Suddenly the ground under their feet shook and twin beams of red flashed out of the sky. Lashina managed to get her swords up in time, but was knocked backwards.

Diana turned to see Kal hovering over them. There was a look on his face she had never seen before. His whole being was different. This wasn't mild mannered Clark Kent or even friendly, cautious Superman. This was an adult male Kryptonian angry. This was Kal-El, the last of his kind.

"Kal, No!" She shouted at him.

"I won't let her hurt you again, Diana,' he said, his eyes still flashing red as he looked at Lashina.

"This isn't about you,' Lashina rasped, as she got back to her feet.

"Kal, look at me,' Diana said to him. "Look at me, Kal."

There was a softness in her tone that reached him and slowly he looked away from Lashina.

"Diana…"

He started, but she cut him off.

"This is between Lashina and me, Kal, no one else," Diana firmly stated. "I want you to stay out of this."

Diana…" he started to protest again, but she shook her head no.

"It's between us, Kal."

"The Princess is right for once, Kal-El, this is between her and me,' Lashina added.

"It always has been," Diana stated.

"Yes,' Lashina agreed.

He didn't know what to do. Every part of him wanted to strike Lashina down, to end this and not run the risk of Diana being hurt again. He was still dealing with the guilt from the last attack and wanted to protect her from any harm. Yet when he looked in Diana's eyes, he knew she didn't want that. She wanted his trust, not his protection.

For a man that had struggled with loneliness all his life, this was agony. He was still dealing with it as far as Kara went, trying to know when to step back and went to rush in. This was different, though. This was the woman he was in love with. He'd just found her after all this time and already had almost lost her once. He wasn't sure he could recover if he lost her again.

He knew he had to trust her, though. They would have no future if he didn't.

"All right, Diana, we'll do it your way,' he finally said.

"Thank you, Kal,' she replied, giving him a quick smile before turning back to Lashina. His gaze turned towards Lashina as well. The anger came rushing back.

"Lashina, just so you know, anything happens to her, you die,' he said. His voice was so cold; it was brittle in its intensity.

"You would never kill me, Kal-El, not me,' she replied.

"Don't test that theory."

His words shook her, as she suddenly believed he would kill her. The revelation that he cared so much for the Princess that he would do the one thing he swore never to do hit Lashina hard. It was as if the fantasy world she had created in her mind suddenly shattered into a million pieces. A tear rolled down her cheek as the one bright moment in her entire life suddenly turned to ashes before her eyes. There was nothing left for her except to kill Wonder Woman.

This was her mortal enemy from the start and now she had taken the one thing Lashina had ever wanted. Death was almost too good for her, but death it was going to be. Lashina glanced up at him for a moment, as if to say goodbye to what might have been and then she attacked.

Diana was ready for her, slipping under her first blade and blocking her second. They were nose to nose and could feel either other's breath on their faces.

"One thing matters now, Princess, your death,' Lashina hissed at her.

"Not today, Lashina, not today,' Diana whispered back. Grunting with effort, Diana threw Lashina off her. Lashina stumbled for just a moment, then flipped in the air and landed on her feet ready for an attack.

"Kal,' Diana called out, while never taking her eyes off Lashina.

"Yes,' he replied, ready to strike if she asked him.

"Go away."

"I'm sorry, what,' he asked.

"Go away, you make me nervous hovering up there,' Diana said. "Go help the others."

"Diana."

"Do it, Kal!"

"You are so bossy sometimes,' he teased, as he started to move away.

"Wife's prerogative,' she teased him back.

"We'll talk about that later,' he said and then headed back to help the others. He glanced back to see Lashina attack again, but Diana countered. That woman is going to be the death of me, he thought.

* * *

At the Bank

Their coordinated efforts were starting to pay off. It wasn't so much the toys were a major threat, there were just so many of them. They were like an extension of their creature, annoying in the extreme. They also had the bad luck of grabbing Mary Marvel in the wrong places.

"Son of a Bitch, I'm going to kill you all,' she raged.

"What is with you, Mary,' Kara asked, as she slugged Grundy again. "Are you hitting a late puberty or something?"

"Maybe she's like Sybil or something," Wally offered. "You know, multiple personalities.

"Bi-polar, I guess that would explain some thing,' Kara admitted.

"Go to hell, both of you!" Mary shouted. ""I don't like to be pawed at, okay? I mean I'm not even on a date and they're getting inappropriate! It's that little pervert that created them that's responsible!"

"Grundy smash!"

"Oh, shut up, can't you see we're talking," Kara replied, punching him again.

"You know, Mary, Billy doesn't act like this,' Courtney offered.

"I'm not fucking Billy, okay,' Mary screamed in reply.

"Language, Mary,' Shayera shouted. "Watch what shit is coming out of your mouth, please, young lady!"

"Really kind of undercutting your message there, Shayera,' Wally said with a smirk.

She smashed several toys, as she got closer to the bank. She turned and glared at Wally.

"You know, I was considering it," she said to him.

"Really,' Wally said in excitement.

"Was."

"I have no luck with women,' he lamented. As if to drive this point home, Live Wire sent several burst of electricity his way.

"Miss me! Missed me again!"

"A ring-a-ding-ding-ding, flamethrowers neutralized," Plastic Man shouted in triumph. Suddenly Jonn phased back up through the pavement.

"Thank you, my friend,' he offered to Plastic Man.

"Don't mention it,' Plastic Man replied. "Hey, have you heard the one about _the tourist that had lost his way on a back road and stopped at the farmhouse to ask if he could be put up for the night. 'Well, we're a mite crowded, since there's already someone in the spare room,' replied the farmer. 'But I guess you can stay if you don't mind sharing the bed with a red haired schoolteacher.'_  
_'Look,' said the tourist, 'I want you to know I'm a gentleman.'_  
_'Well,' mused the farmer, 'as far as I can tell, so is the red haired schoolteacher.**' **_Oh, that slays me that really does! A-ring-a-ding-ding-Ding!"

'A gentlemen,' Jonn replied and then started to chuckle.

"Rubber band man, crazy,' Grundy commented, even as Kara hit him again.

"Thank you,' Dinah shouted as she struggled with Cheetah. "You see even Grundy gets it!"

"Shut up,' Cheetah growled and launched herself at Dinah. Dinah was ready for her, shifting to the side and using Cheetah' momentum to drive her face first into the pavement. Cheetah rolled, but was dizzy from the impact. She slashed out at Dinah, but missed. Dinah grabbed her wrist and twisted it until a sickening snap filled the air.

"AAAA!" Cheetah screamed.

'You lost again,' Dinah said and then followed it with two devastating karate chops that rendered Cheetah unconscious.

* * *

In the Alley

Diana was holding her own, but as the fight continued she could feel it taking a toll on her. She knew she was not completely recovered from Lashina's first attack. She was sweating and breathing hard, but she gave no quarter. The rage that she felt towards this woman pumped adrenaline into her system, helping to compensate.

"It's only a matter of time, Princess,' Lashina whispered. "You're weaker and a step slow. Perhaps if you surrender now, I will give you a quick death."

"I would never surrender to you, Lashina,' Diana growled, pressing the attack forward.

"I know,' Lashina replied. "Just as you know I would never give you a easy, painless death."

She laughed cruelly as she countered Diana and moved in for the kill. At the last possible moment, Diana used the garbage can lid to blunt Lashina's sword and the slashed down across her wrist. Lashina scream as her blood spilled and she dropped one of her swords. Diana moved inside her defeat and delivered an elbow to her nose. It crushed under the force of her strike and blood began to run down Lashina's face. She jumped back, wiping the blood away and growling in frustration.

"How does your own blood taste for a change, Lashina,' Diana asked.

This was answered by another attack.

* * *

At the Bank

Grodd and Killer Frost had just finished loading up all they could carry. He turned and gave her a smile.

"One hundred million dollars, not bad for a day's work, wouldn't you say?"

"We haven't gotten away yet,' she countered. "How do you expect to get through all those heroes out there?"

"I don't," he replied, pulling a small device from his belt. "I thought we'd just transport away, instead."

He started to laugh and she was just about to join him, when a blur went across both of their fields of vision. Grodd looked down and howled in frustration. The transporter device was gone.

"Mine!"

They both looked up in shock to see Wally leaning against the bank vault wall. He had a smile on his face as he waved the transporter device in front of them. Killer Frost screamed in rage and fired an ice blast at him. He sidestepped it easily.

"Missed me, missed me again,' he joked.

"Son of a bitch,' Frost said with a scowl.

"Boy, everyone's got the potty mouth today,' Wally observed. He shouted over his shoulder. "Hey, Kara, I know you can hear me. I think whatever Mary's got is catching!"

In the distance he could just make out a young woman's laugh.

Mary's scream soon followed. "Stop talking about me!"

Frost fired another blast.

"Missed me again, aaagghhhaa,' Wally screamed as he accidently moved right into the line of fire from Live Wire.

"Gotcha,' she shouted in satisfaction. Grodd moved to grab the small device as it fell from Wally's hand, but before he could grasp it, another hand materialized and snatched it from the air.

"Martian,' Grodd growled. He ran towards Jonn, but he just dematerialized and Grodd went plunging out into the street.

"Burn Martian,' Live Wire shouted, but then she slumped to the ground, as Shayera's mace connected to the back of her head.

"Now that felt good,' Shayera mused.

Killer Frost targeted Shayera, but Wally had recovered enough to see this. He was up before Frost even realized it and grabbed both of her wrists. Her volley hit the ceiling of the bank vault and it began a sheet of ice.

"Usually I don't hit a woman,' Wally offered.

"Go to hell,' Frost shouted at him, as she struggled to break free.

"Well, there's always a first time,' he replied and then head-butted her. Frost went down and out.

"Oh, my God that hurt,' Wally winced, bringing his hands up to his forehead. "You see it in the moves and it seems so cool, but damn that hurts like hell!"

"Maybe you should put some ice on it,' Shayera teased as she came into the vault.

"Oh, ha-ha, aren't you funny,' Wally grumbled.

"Here, let me kiss it and make it better,' she replied, pulling his hands away and kissing his forehead. Wally was stunned of a moment.

"You know that wasn't the only part that was sore,' he finally offered.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you,' Shayera replied, shaking her head and then flying back outside.

"I blew it again,' Wally lamented. "She was totaling going to do me! Idiot!"

Jonn turned and looked at him.

"Why don't we help are fellow teammates, Wally,' Jonn offered. "Perhaps you'll get another chance to change her mind."

"Brilliant! You are using your head the right way, Jonn,' Wally said, smiling as he disappeared out of the vault.

* * *

The Alley

The battle had continued. The ferocity of the two was only matched by the intensity of the fight. Both were battered and bloody now, gasping for breath, yet neither yielding an inch.

Off to the side, Toyman was just coming around.

"Did anyone get the license plate of that truck that hit me,' he groaned. He slowly sat up and immediately saw the two fighting. His first instinct was to crawl away as fast as possible, but something stopped him. For most of his adult life, Toyman had been in the super villain game. He'd had a few successes along with many defeats. He'd been in his fair share of battles, but this, this was different.

He sat in awe as he watched the two of them go back and forth. For the most part they moved so fast, his eyes couldn't follow everything that was happening. He had seen the Flash and Superman move at incredible speeds before, but again, this was different. This was combat at its highest level, beyond what he thought he knew of it before.

Also, he realized this was good versus evil. For all his pervy talk and criminal behavior, Toyman knew the difference. As he watched Wonder Woman and Lashina battle he had a visceral reaction to it. Lashina was evil; he felt it in his bones. The fact that she had attacked him earlier also helped with this view.

Watching her battle against Diana, something he hadn't felt in a long time surfaced inside his small body. He wanted good to win. Slowly he got to his feet and stood there just watching them.

* * *

Diana was gasping for air now, but she continued on. She had suffered damage from Lashina, but had inflicted her share on the New God as well. The steel blade in her hand felt heavy, as exhaustion began to take its toll on her. Sweat was streaming down both their faces, as once more they lunged at each other. Lashina's thrust was off the mark. She had finally made a mistake and Diana took advantage of it. Pushing herself to the limit, Diana executed a series of blindingly fast counter moves. In the next moment, Lashina's sword was knocked from her hand she was on the ground looking up at Diana. A sword was poised at her throat.

"It's over, Lashina, you lost,' Diana said between gasps for air.

Lashina knew this was the moment of either defeat or victory. She only needed a moment to turn the odds in her favor. She would use anything to achieve her goal.

"Kill me then, Princess, but know you will be killing the mother of his child,' she said.

Diana gasped in shock at this revelation and her swords inadvertently dipped a fraction of an inch. This was all Lashina needed.

* * *

"NO!"

The cry came from away from them. Toyman suddenly lunged at Lashina and grabbed her arm. He had been watching the whole time, and saw the whip ready to strike. Why he did what he did, he would later wonder if he was crazy or not. Somewhere in the moment the small part of him that knew right from wrong and good from bad reacted. He was on his feet and rushing towards them. He launched himself at Lashina just as she was about to strike with her whip. She flung him off her as if he was a bug, but it delayed her just enough.

Diana was in motion instantly, her sword coming down hard on Lashina's wrist. It nearly severed her hand from the arm. The whip fell uselessly to the ground. Diana raised her sword in both hands to deliver the killing blow and then stopped.

"I won't kill you, Lashina, you will stand trial for your crimes,' Diana said.

"You're a fool,' Lashina replied. She clutched her wrist, trying to stop the blood.

"You've lost everything,' Diana flatly stated. They held each other's eyes for a moment and then a cruel smile came to Lashina's lips.

"Perhaps,' she whispered and then activated her Mother-Box. The portal opened and Diana could feel it's gravitational pull. Lashina reached and grabbed Diana, pulling her close.

"Why don't you come home with me, Princess and see how you fair there,' she rasped in Diana's face. The meaning of her words was plain to Diana. She was trying to take her to Apokolips. They struggled, Lashina's grip with her one good hand like a vice around Diana's arm. The gravity continued to increase, pulling them both towards the portal. It was now or never, Diana frantically thought, knowing the horrors that awaited her on Apokolips. With the last ounce of her strength, she pulled her arm away from Lashina and kicked her into the portal.

"NOOOOOOO!" Lashina screamed and then disappeared. The portal closed behind her. Diana collapsed to her knees, spent and exhausted. Her mouth was open as she gasped for air, knowing the battle was over for now.

* * *

Several moments passed and then she heard a small groan further down the alley. Rising on shaky legs, Diana went to check on Toyman. His little body had impacted against the wall and he lay motionless on the ground. Diana knelt next to him and checked to see how he was.

"Did you win,' he asked in a small voice.

"Yes,' she replied with a smile. "Thank you for your help."

"If you really want to thank me, you could show me your boobs,' he said with a leering smile.

"You just had to go and ruin it, didn't you,' she grumbled and stood up.

"What?"


	49. Chapter 49

Aftermath

"Home is where the heart is"

Metropolis

The crisis was over and the bank robbery stopped. Police tape and barricades cordoned off the area as the damage was assessed. Kara and Clark helped the fireman put out the last of the fires. The media was already there, shouting questions and trying to push their way through the barricades. The special units of the police had moved in to cart the super villains away. Special garbage trucks were needed to dispose of the fallen toys.

They had suddenly all stopped fighting and collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. Tensions lowered in the aftermath. As the heroes assisted with the transfer of the villains and clean up, Diana came walking up with Toyman bound by her lasso. Everyone turned to watch and three young female heroes took a special interest in watching Diana and Toyman.

"Are you okay,' Clark asked. He wanted to rush over and hug her, but was careful because of the cameras. They were far enough away they couldn't hear what they were saying, but caution was always best, he thought.

"Tired, but yes, I'm okay, Kal,' she replied with a weak smile. He turned his back towards the camera and gave her a smile.

"You had me worried when that portal opened."

"How do you know about the portal,' she asked.

"You didn't say anything about watching,' he countered. They looked at each other and shared a private moment. This was broken up by three rather angry teenage heroes moving towards Toyman. Clark turned and addressed them all.

"Stop right there,' he said, holding up his hands. "Toyman's been defeated and is in custody. I want you all to remember the media is watching everything that happens. So best behavior."

"Maybe he could have an accident getting into the special truck,' Kara offered.

"Kara.' Clark warned.

"Just a thought,' she said sheepishly.

"Nothing to say you dirty little man,' Mary growled. Toyman immediately looked up at Diana. She smiled in return.

"The lasso compels him to keep his mouth shut,' she explained. "I thought that was the best thing for all of us."

Toyman made a face and then turned and looked at the three young heroes. While he couldn't talk, he could give them a lewd smile and wag his eyebrows.

"He's being pervy again,' Mary complained.

"Toyman stop it,' Diana immediately said. He looked at her again, but could do nothing to counter the lasso.

"Why don't you get him in the truck before he figures out something else,' Clark suggested with a shake of his head. He was really starting to wonder if Toyman had a death wish. Diana nodded in agreement and led him to the waiting police. The three watched him the whole way, just hoping he would try something. As he got in and sat down, Diana finally released the lasso from him.

"Holy hell, that was a nightmare,' he complained. "Hey, Blondie, Mary, I just wanted to say…"

Diana slamming the back door on the truck closed cut off his words. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I could still hear him, you know,' Kara complained to her cousin.

"Well, that's the price of being super, remember,' he replied. He put his arm around her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. She shrugged him off and he just smiled.

"What did he say,' Mary asked. "It was something dirty wasn't it? I'm going to rip him a new one, that dirty, little, loud-mouthed son of a.."

"Mary!" Diana said in a very firm tone. "I think we need to have a talk, young lady. Come with me, now."

Mary blushed and then with head down followed Diana down the alley, away from the reporters and camera.

"She's so going to get it,' Kara whispered to Courtney with a smirk.

"I think you and Ma Kent should have a little talk too, Kara,' Clark said to her.

"No fair! You were listening,' she grumbled.

"Super hearing, remember?"

"Wow, you're screwed too,' Courtney observed.

"I was also going to speak with S.T.R.I.P.E., Star Girl,' Clark added.

"Oh, shit, he's going to kill me,' Courtney lamented. 'I'll be grounded forever!"

* * *

In the bank vault, Wally, Jonn and Shayera were returning the money to the bank president and his security personal. They were very happy about this and hands were vigorously shaken all around. Wally wisely let Jonn do the talking. When they finally disengaged themselves from the bank people, they walked back out into the street.

"Are you going to rush over and give the reporters a statement,' Shayera asked Wally.

"No, I figured I'd let Jonn or Dinah do it," Wally replied.

"Wow, I can't believe you'd turn down an opportunity for free publicity."

"Well, some things are more important,' Wally offered. "I was kinda hoping we could continue our date?"

Shayera stopped and looked at him with a rather surprised expression.

"Seriously?"

"Well, yeah,' he admitted. "I thought we were having a good time before this happened."

"Is this still about what I said after the fight,' she asked suspiciously.

"No! Well, okay, it is hard not thinking about it,' Wally replied. He seemed almost nervous now. "The thing is, I liked going out with you tonight, so I wanted it to continue."

Shayera liked this answer and smiled.

"Alright, Wally, where should we go,' she asked.

"Really? Fantastic, well, there's a hot new club someone told me about that I thought we could check out,' he said with excitement.

"Someone told you about? Who? Kara?"

"Well, yeah."

Shayera gave it some thought and it did sound like fun.

"Okay, let's do it, but we should help clean up first."

He beamed and then turned to the others. "Okay, people let's get this done!"

He became a blur and what seemed like only a second later, he was back in front of Shayera. All the toys were off the street and into the trucks. "Done!"

"You really have been thinking about it, haven't you,' she laughed and then lifted off the ground. "I'll meet you there. Oh, by the way, I'm still thinking about."

Wally's jaw fell open as he watched her rise into the air.

"I know she's probably joking, but there's a chance!"

He disappeared in the next moment.

* * *

Most of the clean up was done and the heroes were leaving. Dinah and Jonn had agreed to handle the media. They were discussing what they would say when Dinah happened to notice Plastic Man sulking off to the side. She had thought he'd left earlier.

"What's with him,' she asked Jonn. He turned and looked over at Plastic Man.

"You insulted him,' Jonn explained.

"I insulted him," Dinah said in surprise, but the look Jonn gave her made her rephrase the statement. "I always insult him, but he never acts like that."

"You laughed at Toyman," Jonn said.

"So?'

"That's Plastic Man's sort of calling card, Dinah, telling off color and risqué jokes,' Jonn continued. "You hate Plastic Man's jokes, but you laughed at Toyman's.

"Knights who say NI, I like Monty Python, Jonn," Dinah replied. "I got his joke, Plastic Man's are usually kind of stupid and not funny."

"I think you should apologize to him,' Jonn suggested.

"Why? I don't even like him,' Dinah protested. "I've told him every way I can think of but he doesn't get the message!"

"You're the President of the Justice League, Dinah,' Jonn countered. "That means you are responsible for everyone under you and their moral."

"I am?"

"Yes."

"I don't remember anyone telling me that when I got the job, Jonn,' Dinah replied. "I think you're just making stuff up now."

Jonn just looked at her with a stone face.

"Damn, I can't tell if you're lying or not,' she admitted. "All right, I'll apologize to the imbecile.'

Dinah looked at Jonn again. "Remind me to never play poker with you."

She didn't want to do it. The fact was Dinah really didn't like Plastic Man, but she was President.

"Plastic Man,' she said to him. He didn't turn, instead crossed his arms in front of him and lifted his chin as if indignant.

"Plastic Man," she repeated. "Look, I'm sorry about laughing at Toyman, okay?"

He still didn't reply. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You can hug me if you want to,' Dinah finally offered. His eyes went wide and a grin spread across his face. In the next moment he was a rubber band wrapped all around her.

"What-What the hell are you doing,' Dinah said as she squirmed.

"I knew you cared,' he happily replied. "I'm hugging you!"

"This is how an anaconda hugs, let go of me!"

He slithered away from her but was beaming. She was going to shout at him, but just shook her head and walked over to where Jonn was to talk to the reporters.

* * *

Clark had been watching all of this and had to smile. He turned and headed over to Diana.

"Looks like it's all over for now,' he said to her.

"Thank Hera, I just want to go home, Kal,' she said. His smile grew as he realized she was talking about the house in Gotham Heights.

"I'll meet you at the car, how about that?"

"Okay, I'll even let you drive,' Diana replied, teasing him just a little bit.

"Wow, you must be tired, Princess,' he teased back.

"I'll hit you when we get home, Kal," Diana said, lifting off into the sky.

"Yeah, I kind of expected that,' he mused as he followed.

* * *

Gotham Heights

The worshippers were gathering for another ceremony, but there was a different mood in the room. They were all dressed in their ornate robes and holding their ceremonial daggers. Just as they were about enter the rec room, Cubby stopped and looked at LuAnn. She silently nodded to him. He sighed and turned to face the others.

"What's the matter, Cubby,' Phil asked.

Cubby looked at everyone and then reached up and took off his pointy hat.

"People, I think we should talk,' Cubby said. "I've been thinking a lot about what Jenny said the other day."

"Me?" Jenny blushed and looked at the others." What-What did I say?"

"About what's the end game of what we're doing here,' Cubby replied.

"I said that,' Jenny asked.

"You were really high,' Dottie explained. Jenny shrugged and made a sheepish face.

"So what are you talking about Cubby,' Phil asked.

"Well, even if she was high,' Cubby started, glancing at Jenny. "What she brought up is a really good point. What is the goal here? Do we really want to conjure up Satan or some demon? I have to tell you, I've been thinking about it all week and I'm not sure I like that prospect. From everything I've read or heard, Satan's not really a very nice guy."

"Satan's a bad dude,' Carl agreed. Others nodded along.

"I'm not even sure I believe in Satan,' Bob offered.

"How's that," LuAnn asked.

"Well, he seems like kind of a cop out to me,' Bob continued. "You know if I take this ceremonial dagger and kill all of you, who's fault is it, anyway, Satan's or mine? Am I responsible for my actions or did some other supernatural power make me do it? If I slaughter you all right now, I'm the one that did it, no one else."

Bob held up the dagger and looked at it for a moment.

"Good point,' Jenny nervously offered. "How about just setting that dagger down for a moment, Bob?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll just collect everyone's,' Carl quickly said, carefully taking the dagger from Bob and then the others.

"Okay then,' Cubby said, breathing a sigh of relief. "The point is, I don't think this was ever about Satan, well, at least not for me."

"Satan showing up would ruin the carpet in the rec room," Carl, the dry cleaner pointed out.

"That's another good point,' Cubby replied. "Plus, frankly, I'm getting a little sick of goat meat. I mean, sure, once and awhile, but it's really starting to stack up in the freezer."

"We'll take some,' Dottie offered. "I've been wanting to try some new recipes anyway."

'Stop over tomorrow and I'll fix you up, Dottie,' LuAnn offered and then she looked at the other couples. "You're all welcome to some meat if you want it."

"I think I'm going to become a Vegan or that could just be the pot talking," Jenny said.

"We're kind of getting off track here, people,' Cubby interrupted. "The point I was trying to make I think we all got into this with the best intentions, but maybe it's time to reevaluate."

"I was scared I was going to lose my card shop,' Bob admitted. Others nodded in agreement.

"I think we were all scared at first,' Cubby said. "I know I was. I'd worked all my life to build something and then suddenly it seemed I might lose it overnight. I was kind of grasping for anything that might help."

The others understood what he was saying, as they had all had some lean times recently.

"I also really liked wearing the pointy hat,' Cubby admitted.

"If we're not going to do the sacrifices anymore, then what?' Betty spoke up for the first time.

"Yes, I feel like I've found something here, friends,' Nancy added.

"I think that's the good thing that came out of this,' Cubby offered. "We were all scared. You can feel so anonymous living out here in the suburbs. It's like we all live in these little nice bubbles of our own creation side by side with everyone, but never really get to know one another. You kind of lose a sense of community. Maybe I'm just talking for myself here, but the last few months with all of you has reminded me I'm not just a great aluminum siding salesman, but a person too. I think I was starting to forget that."

"I know what you're saying, Cubby,' Carl chimed in. "I spend so much time down at the dry cleaners, but I never thought it would define me."

"Yes,' Bob agreed. "I know owning a gift card shop sounds glamorous, but it's not from the inside. Strip away all the glitz and pizzazz and it's a lonely life."

Jenny and Dottie had fired up a joint at this point and nodded along with the others.

"So what now,' LuAnn asked. "If we're not Satan worshippers anymore, what are we?"

"I know I don't want to lose you all as friends,' Betty said.

"I don't either, Betty,' Cubby replied. "I just worry that the sacrifice and the worshipping was what brought us together. Now that we don't have it, will we drift apart? I find I don't want that to happen."

"We could do something else together, bowling,' Bob offered.

"Not really the same, Bob,' Jenny offered.

"Let's be orgy people,' Phil spoke up for the first time.

"What?" Everyone shouted in surprise.

"Orgy people,' Phil repeated. "I mean Cubby's already has the rec room all decked out; it would be perfect for an orgy. We could meet once a week like we're doing now, except instead of sacrificing goats, we get it on!"

"We could make a party out of it,' Dottie suggested. "It would be a lot easier to invite new people to an orgy rather than a satanic sacrifice."

"That's a good point,' Cubby admitted.

"We could invite Clark from across the street,' LuAnn immediately offered. "Oh, and his wife, of course."

"I'd be up for that, figuratively and literally,' Carl added wth a chuckle.

Cubby looked at LuAnn and then the others.

"An orgy? Well, okay, if that's what everyone wants,' he said. "I guess we should take a vote on it or something. All in favor raise your hand."

Everyone immediately raised his or her hands.

"You could even wear the pointy hat, Cubby,' Jenny suggested, as she exhaled smoke.

"Good point," Cubby replied, "Probably the robes too, but that would mean more dry cleaning, Carl."

"Not really, I've never been to an orgy, but I'd imagine everyone strips them off before things get started."

"So we'd be nudists too," Dottie excitedly said. "We really are becoming hippies!"

* * *

Gotham

Dinah stood on the edge of a building rooftop scanning the city. It had been a couple of days since the bank robbery and things were settling down. She'd had a long talk with Ollie and while they weren't back together they had rediscovered their friendship. They'd been able to talk without the anger or shouting. She listened to his concerns and tried to explain what was going through her mind to him. She wasn't sure if he really understood, but at least they were talking again.

A relationship, with anyone, wasn't a top priority for her at the moment. The more she got into the crime fighting life, the more she found it was all she wanted to do. How could she ask anyone, even Ollie to try and share that mission with her? To be with a civilian seemed to be putting them at unnecessary risk. What if someone found out about their connection, she thought, they might use it against her? She didn't want anyone innocent to suffer because of her, especially if she cared for them. Maybe in the future it would change, but right now, the mission had to come first.

He didn't even make a sound, but she knew he was there.

"I expected you sooner, rather than later,' she said, not turning around.

"I had something to do this evening,' he replied.

"Dinner with Zee?"

"Why would you say that,' Bruce asked.

"Just a guess,' Dinah offered. "You two have been pretty cozy lately."

"We're friends,' he said in a flat tone.

"Good friends,' she said, hinting without saying it.

"It's not like that, her show ends this week is all,' he quickly replied.

"Relax, Bruce, I wasn't suggesting you two were going to try what Diana and Clark are,' Dinah said with a laugh. "I mean you could never do that in a million years."

"I think I could," he protested. "I mean if Diana and Clark can, I'm sure I could."

"I wouldn't bet on it,' she chuckled.

"Oh, you wouldn't?"

"Look, just forget it, okay,' Dinah replied, turning finally to look at him. "You came to see what I'm doing in your city, didn't you?"

"Yes."

She looked at him, the black cape covering most of his body. There was something so elemental about his look, as if he belongs to the night. If she was going to do what she wanted, she knew she would have to get his agreement. It was his city, after all.

"I think I can do some good here, Bruce,' she began. "Not on the big stuff, but some of the little stuff at first. I've talked to Barbara about it and she agrees."

"Are you asking my permission,' he said, a little surprised by this.

"In a way, yes,' she admitted. "I know we talked about this before, but you when realize what you want to do, Bruce, you want to get on with it. At least that's the way I feel, do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I do,' he replied. "It's not an easy thing, Dinah. Everything has its costs. You don't even realize all of them at first."

"I know, but it's what I have to do,' she said.

"Then you don't really need my permission, do you?'

She had glanced out over the city before turning back to answer him, but he was already gone. Dinah guessed that was as close as she was going to get to a welcome from him. She could live with that.

* * *

Gotham Heights

There were only a couple days left to the bet or as Diana thought about it, one day, fourteen hours, twenty-seven minutes and thirty two seconds left. The last few days had been the longest of her life. She had taken more baths and cold showers then she could ever remember. Her dreams had been getting more vivid and sultry with each passing night. If she were to put it crassly, she was really, really horny.

It was a completely new and not all-together bad feeling. It was frustrating being so close to what she wanted, yet not able to have it, just yet. Each morning she would wake up in Kal's arms and it felt so good, she didn't want to get up. She'd begun to imagine if every morning started like that, she would have no complains. It was strange though; she was waiting for her marriage to be over, so she could sleep with her husband.

As distracted as she was, perhaps there was a benefit to it, Diana thought. Because they couldn't do what she wanted to do, they had to fill their time with other things. They talked for hours about everything and anything. She felt she knew Kal, really knew him now. So many questions and misunderstandings she'd had about the man were finally coming into focus for her.

Diana realized that she had always been a little like everyone else, thinking they were so much alike, but now she saw this was far from the truth. It wasn't the Princess and the farm boy thing, either. They might share similar goals and outlooks, but other fundamental things they were completely different. Disposition, approaches, tastes, opinions, basic temperament and so many other things they were nothing alike. Some of these complimented each other very well, while others meant they would clash, but that was all right too.

Diana realized this was what a real relationship meant. In the fairy tale everything is happily ever after, but a real life relationship was something they would have to work at constantly. She was also realizing she had a rather powerful hold on Kal and was just starting to understand the full impact she could have. The fact that he had the same impact on her was becoming more apparent with each passing day. One day, thirteen hours, forty-three minutes and sixteen seconds she thought.

The door to the kitchen opened and Clark walked in. He smiled when he saw her. He'd been swimming. After drying off, he'd put on his pants and grabbed a shirt feeling like some breakfast. The shirt wasn't buttoned and he wasn't wearing any shoes as he came up behind her.

"What are you doing,' he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'm-I'm trying to make breakfast,' she stammered, immediately feeling herself react to his touch.

"You?"

"Yes, me, why do you say it like that,' she asked, turning in his arms to look at him.

"Have you ever made breakfast or anything before,' he gently asked.

"No, but it doesn't seem that hard,' she replied. "You put two slices of bread in the machine and press the little handle down on the side."

"That's toast, Diana, not really breakfast,' he said with a smirk. "How about coffee?"

"You already made it before I got up,' she admitted.

"Why don't I show you how to make something a little harder, French toast?"

"How much harder,' she asked.

"Not much, but I think you'll like it,' he replied and then got a bowl out and went over to the refrigerator. He got some eggs, some half and half and a few other ingredients out and set them on the counter. Diana watched all of this with keen interest. He picked up one of the eggs and held it up to her.

"This is a egg, Diana,' he said.

"I know what an egg is, Kal,' she grumbled.

"Just starting from the basics up,' he joked. He cracked the egg on the side of the bowl and emptied the yoke into it. Looking at her again, he held up the shells and tossed them into the waste can.

"I'm not an imbecile, Kal,' Diana protested.

"All right, then do the other eggs,' he suggested, stepping back. She looked at him smiling and knew it was a challenge. A teasing challenge from him, but a challenge just the same. Waving him to take another step back, she moved over and confidently picked up an egg. She gave him a look and held up the egg, mimicking him from just a moment before. Diana then tapped the egg against the side of the bowl. Just a little too hard with the first one and the second. She spent the next few minutes picking the pulverized shell fragments from the bowl. Finally she finished and turned to him.

"There," she said.

He smiled and moved next to her, adding some of the other ingredients.

"Okay, now you need to beat it together,' he said, holding out a whisk for her. Diana gave him a look and then snatched the whisk from his hand. It seemed simple enough, she thought. He watched her for a moment and then stopped her.

"You're not beating it into submission, Diana," he said, moving up behind her. "Here, like this."

He leaned in close, gently covering her hand in his and showed her what he meant. Diana could feel his body pressed against her and a tremor go through her body. One day, thirteen hours, eleven minutes and five seconds she thought. When he stepped away, she realized she'd been holding her breath and slowly let it out.

He cut several slices of fresh French bread he'd bought the night before and handed them to her. She took them and just looked at him.

"One at a time, soak them in mixture, while I turn on the stove,' he suggested. She nodded and turned back to the bowl. She placed the first slice in the mixture and stood there looking at it, not sure what else she was suppose to do. Again he came up behind her, leaning against her.

"Make sure they are thoroughly soaked, Diana,' he whispered, his lips very closed to her ear. A stray thought about the word soaked in another context passed across her mind, but she pushed it away and tried to concentrate on the French toast.

"Don't be afraid to get your hands in there,' he whispered, gently taking her hands in his and showing her how to saturate the bread.

'Oh, that's good, Diana, very good,' he whispered. "Now put it on the pan and let's do another one."

As each slice went into the mixture and their hands made sure it was saturated, he leaned even more into her. She could fell every inch of him and his breath against her earlobe and neck. When he shifted slightly against her, Diana almost moaned.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Kal, 'she finally managed to say.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Diana,' he playfully whispered to her. "I'm just showing you how to make French toast. Don't you like it?"

"Yes,' she whispered, closing her eyes and leaning back into him.

"I hope you have an appetite this morning, Diana."

"Oh, I do, I do,' she whispered. It came out as almost a moan.

"Good, cause the toast is ready for the oven,' he cheerfully said and stepped away from. Diana leaned against the counter for a moment, trying to get herself under control, as she heard him open the oven and put the pan in. Finally she turned and glared at him.

"You're teasing me,' she stated.

"Who? Me,' he innocently asked.

"Yes, Kal, you,' she fired back. "It's not fair."

"How so?"

"You know I made a promise, yet you continue,' she explained.

"Sort of like what you were doing when it was me that made the promise,' he countered.

"That-That's not the same,' she protested.

"How?"

"Well…' she started, but then stopped. She tried to come up with a reason other then that was him and now it was her. "I-I never lied to you."

"How did I lie,' he asked.

"You said that thing about every time you look at me how you want me just to get me all worked up," she offered. "I never did that to you. Its cruel."

His expression changed at hearing this. The smile vanished and he was very serious.

"I wasn't lying to you, Diana,' he said. "I'll admit I've been teasing you a little, but not about that."

This was the point where he'd usually stop, but as he looked at Diana, Clark didn't want to stop this time. He'd been dancing around it, saying it to himself, but now he wanted to say it to her.

"I'm in love with you, Diana,' he said simply. "I know this has been a crazy situation and a very short time, but I find I can't deny it any longer. I meant what I said. I find you the most beautiful, fascinating woman I've ever known. Yes, when I look at you, I'm thinking how much I want you, but also how much I'm falling in love with you. I wanted that to be something special, just between you and me. No matter what happens after this is over or where we are, I want when our eyes meet for you to know that's what I'm thinking."

He moved slowly over to her and took her in his arms. Diana felt a little giddy as she gazed into his eyes and kissed him.

"Oh, Kal, I love you too,' she whispered between kisses.

One day, twelve hours, fifty-eight minutes and three seconds.


	50. Chapter 50

Finally

"Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right."  
— Marilyn Monroe

Gotham Heights

One day, twelve hours, fifty-three minutes and three seconds later, Clark was lying on the couch and Diana was sitting across from him in one of the armchairs. She was multitasking, reading but at the same time there was a countdown going on in the back of her mind. She wanted to finish the book she'd been reading, but there were always those other thoughts flittering through her mind.

* * *

_The Capital_

_Fog covered the city. Avignon stood on the dock watching as she slowly made her way up the gangplank. She seemed so frail, but when she finally reached the top she turned and smiled. His pale angel was escaping the Capital. He gave a hesitant wave in return. Something good came out of the nightmare._

_The murders had been solved, but none of the officials in any of the factions wanted to make it public. Their roles in the creation of the killer would be buried. Avignon expected nothing less. It got her out, though, and that was all that was really important. Prefect Castor had come through on their deal and she was on the boat to America. Maybe there she would have a chance against the TB._

_He knew the disease had weakened her eyesight and from this distance he was probably just a gray and black faceless part of the crowd. Still, she moved to the rail and stared out as if she could see only him. Avignon had another ticket for the ship in his pocket. He could go with her, yet here he stood, rooted to the spot. He could make out every detail, from her thin fingers clutching the railing to her shallow cheeks, reddened by the chill in the air._

_He knew she didn't have the voice to call to him, and he couldn't seem to get the words out. They were there, just on the tip of his tongue, yet they stalled and turned into ash in his mouth. If he could only get one out, Wait; perhaps he could get the rest to come. Perhaps his fingers, desperately clutching the ticket in his pocket could move and bring it forth, but that would necessitate him moving forward. He remained silently in place._

"_Fear makes cowards of us all."_

_Avignon turned his head to see Sasha standing next to him. How the great bear of a man had managed to get this close without him knowing was a mystery._

"_Excuse me,' Avignon said, his lips and tongue finally working. Sasha just turned and gave him a sad smile. He glanced away, raising his hand to wave at her._

"_You got the quote wrong you know,' Avignon feebly replied._

"_Yes, I know,' Sasha said, not turning to look at him. "The undiscovered country from whose bourn_

_ No traveller returns, puzzles the will _

_And makes us rather bear those ills we have _

_Than fly to others that we know not of? _

_Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. _

_I know my Shakespeare, Avignon, but I believe fear is what makes cowards of us all."_

"_Have it your way,' Avignon quietly said, both his hands thrust into his pockets now._

"_She's still waiting for you,' Sasha offered._

"_I know, but it's better this way,' Avignon replied. Sasha finally turned and looked at his friend._

"_For who?"_

"_Her."_

"_And what about you, my friend?"_

"_I'll go on as before and try and forget her."_

"_I know few things, Avignon, but I know if you don't go to her, you'll regret it,' Sasha gently said. "Oh, I know you can tell me a thousand reasons why you shouldn't, but they all mask the real reason, fear."_

"_Is that so,' Avignon asked._

"_Yes,' Sasha replied with a nod. "Fear is what always holds us back. Fear makes cowards of us all, Avignon. We live our lives always struggling with it. Those times it wins we always regret. Better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all."_

"_You are just full of quotes today, aren't you,' Avignon replied with a hint of sarcasm._

"_Dismiss it if you will, but you know I'm right,' Sasha replied. "Each of us must face it sooner or later. Most try and deny it, thinking they will get more chances, yet always regretting the ones that slip away."_

"_What do you regret, Sasha,' Avignon asked. The bigger man dipped his head as if the memory was still too painful to speak of, but then he turned and looked Avignon in the eyes._

"_I regret the part I played in this,' he said, gesturing to the Capital surrounding them. "This war, I was too afraid of not being part of the crowd, the herd to follow what deep down I knew was right. I was a coward because I gave up being an individual for the cause. The Red, The White, The Black, it really doesn't matter which cause you surrender yourself to; you become part of the crowd when you do. Life isn't about causes Avignon, it's about moments, individual, personal moments. An individual doesn't blindly follow orders or the words of another, the mindless crowd does. My regret is I let my fear of not belonging stop me even though I knew it was wrong. I will have to live with that for the rest of my life."_

_The sound of the ship's horn cut through the din and signaled it's eminent departure. Avignon glanced up and saw she was still standing at the railing._

"_This is your moment, Avignon,' Sasha began when the horn stopped. "Will you give into fear as so many others have, or will you do what you know it right and what you want to do? You see, my friend, it always comes down to the individual and the choice they make."_

_Sasha gave him a smile and clapped him on the back. In his bellowing voice he called out her name and waved. Avignon glanced up and saw her wave back at hearing him. He stood there as Sasha turned and walked back into the fog that covered the city. On the crowded dock, Avignon felt more alone then he'd ever felt in is life._

_The second horn blasted and he knew there would be one more before the ship departed. His eyes scanned the dock, but kept returning to her standing at the railing. Slowly his fingers emerged from his pocket, the ticket still clutched tightly. Would he let his fear stop him or would he take a chance?_

_The third horn sounded._

_

* * *

_

Diana turned the page to find that it was the last one. That was the end of the story. She looked at the spine of the book to see if a page had been ripped out, but couldn't see any sign of it. So did Avignon get on the ship or not, she wondered? What a strange unsatisfying ending. Diana knew what she would do, she would get on the ship, she thought. Then it hit her that was the point of the story. It was asking you what path would you take?

Two minutes until the bet was over.

Diana glanced over and saw that Clark was stretched out on the couch, his arms above his head and his eyes closed. He looked peaceful, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Diana sat there just watching him. In less then two minutes things were going to change between them. Thinking about the question the book poised in relationship to her own life, Diana knew there were reasons to feel a little fear about what happens next.

The whole world of the Amazons, the world she'd grown up in considered a relationship with a man folly. The very history on which they were founded attested to this. She could imagine what her sisters would say once they heard.

That was secondary really, Diana knew. The truth was this was all new to her, her first time and she was nervous and a little afraid of what might happen. She knew their feelings for each other right now, but what if it didn't last? What if she gave herself and her heart to him and then things fell apart? It happened to couples everyday and they had much more experience then she did. It wasn't like Kal and her were destined to be together or anything, they had found each other in this most improbable situation.

This wasn't the fairy tale and things weren't guaranteed to be happily ever after. They were just the same as any other new couple in love. There was always a chance it wouldn't work out for them. Diana wondered if she could handle that if it happened? She was about to take a step that couldn't be undone with this man and she found herself a bit afraid of what might be.

The alternative was to do nothing, let the bet end and go back to her life. That was the safe path. Yes, she had always faced every challenge that came up in her life, but this was different. This was being vulnerable as never before with another person. This was a leap into the unknown that might end in disaster for both of them.

Twenty two seconds left.

Looking at Kal, the man she'd gotten to know in the last month, Diana made a decision. She wouldn't let fear stop her or rule her life. She would take this chance, this oh so important chance. She knew deep down she loved him. She also wanted him like nothing she'd ever wanted before. It was a greedy, primal feeling of wanting him to be hers and no one else's. He would be hers and she would be his. They would face whatever comes together.

Fifteen seconds.

She set the book down on the end table and stood, the countdown continuing in her head. Slowly she moved around he coffee table towards him, each step bringing her closer to the end of the bet and a beginning with him.

Five seconds.

She stood over him, a smile spreading across her lips. Shifting on to one foot, she stretched out her other leg over him.

Two seconds.

Easing herself down, Diana was straddling his waist.

One second.

Times up, she thought as she sat down on top of him and leaned in to kiss his lips. As their lips met, she reached up and clasp his hands in hers, holding them above his head. As she finished that first scorching kiss, she moved just far enough back to see his face. His eyes were open and he was smiling up at her.

"Something on your mind?"

* * *

Clark had been counting down the hours, minutes and seconds too. Outwardly he was calm, but his thoughts were anything but. He did have a little more experience at waiting then Diana had. Sometimes it seemed his whole life he'd been waiting. When he'd stretched out on the couch opposite her, he could feel the excitement building within him. He made sure he took his shoes off, as he'd gotten the glare when he'd mistakenly done that once before. No shoes on the furniture and no feet on the table. She definitely liked things a certain way. He glanced over as she started reading the book and just looked at her.

He knew they were on the edge of something major in both their lives. A month ago, he would have thought even the suggestion of them in a relationship other then as friends was ridiculous. A lot had changed in that time. A month, he thought as he closed his eyes, it was hard to believe it had already been a month. He was nervous and probably a little afraid of what might come, but found he was strangely okay with it too. He knew he was in love with Diana and also that he wanted her more than any woman he'd ever known.

He knew others would think it was because of her beauty and she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He'd known that from the first moment he met her and yes, that was part of it, he was a guy after all. It was so much more though. His mind flashed to moments from their month together. They came rather randomly to him, her innocence at getting one bed and her reason why, being one of the first. Others followed, from her defiance against her mother and not backing down even if it meant a wedding to her vulnerability when they were alone and she explained why it was so important to her. The nerve wracking driving lesson, their first dinner out and their first kiss that followed. Watching her laugh with Ma and Kara or barely containing her annoyance at his bumbling act in the theater, he could tell all of her emotions now just by her expression.

Her anger and jealous he would not soon forget, he knew. Those expressions he would make sure to watch for. He did enjoy teasing her though, just to watch her reaction. He was also a little worried about how good she was getting at teasing him. She could certainly played havoc with his libido when she wanted to. Once she realized just how much she overwhelmed his senses every time she was near him, he was going to be in big trouble.

Moments continued to stream through his mind as the seconds ticked down. He smiled as he remembered her sense of wonder at the grocery store or her over-protectiveness with the kids in the pool. There were terrible moments too, seeing her limp body surrounded by blood in the water. The awful, gut wrenching waiting to see if she would live or die.

The happy moments continued though. The sight of her when she did finally returned still made his heart beat faster. He could taste her kisses on his lips and vividly remember the feel of her body against his. He'd finally overcome his fear and told her that he loved her. He knew he would never regret saying it.

The time was almost up.

He felt her sit on him and then her lips against his. He could feel the passion from her and towards her. When she pulled away, he opened his eyes to gaze up at her loveliness. He couldn't help teasing her just a little bit.

* * *

"Something on your mind?"

"The bet is over, Kal, and so is my promise,' she whispered seductively to him.

"Has it been a whole month, are you sure,' he continued.

"Yes, thirty days, down to the hour, minute and second,' she replied.

"You know some months have thirty-one days, Diana,' he playfully suggested.

"Not this one."

"So I guess you won,' he said to her.

"More then I ever expected," she replied and then kissed him again. One kiss followed another, each succeeding one hotter than the one before.

"Mmm, so does this mean we're not married anymore,' he asked. He was enjoying the kisses, but her body pressed down on his was rather distracting, in a good way, but distracting.

"Uh-uh,' she replied, slowly shaking her head back and forth with a satisfied smile on her face. "Still married, Kal."

He tried to move and bring his hands down to her, but Diana playfully wouldn't allow this. She pressed herself down firmer against him and cut off further conversation with more passionate kisses.

"Di-Di-Di-Diana,' he tried to say, but her lips stopped him again and again.

"Shh, we're on our honeymoon, Kal,' she finally whispered.

"I like the sound of that,' he managed to reply.

"I do to,' she said, leaning back and taking the sides of his shirt front in her two hands. The time for anything coming between them was over. She gave the shirt a quick jerk and ripped it from his chest.

"That was a new shirt,' he complained.

"You have others,' she replied with a smile.

He was about to slow things down, as this was second nature to him, when it suddenly hit him that there wasn't really a reason to slow down. The bet was over, along with any promises to others. This was now just about the two of them. As amazing as it seemed, looking at her, he realized this was a woman he didn't have to worry about slowing down with. His smile grew as he slipped his thumbs between the buttons on her blouse and with a flick of his wrists tore it from her just as she had done to him.

"I think I just satisfied a million fantasies,' he chuckled. Diana gave him a confused look of not understanding.

"You have? Whose,' she asked in her most innocent way.

"Mine,' he replied and gently pulled her back to him. Diana liked this reply and eagerly moved to him. A month of pent up passion started to let go, but as it usually happens, something interrupted them. This time it was the doorbell. Clark closed his eyes with a groan, even as she kissed him again.

"The doorbell, Diana,' he muttered between kisses.

"We're not answering it,' she replied, barely stopping her caresses.

"It might be important."

"It might not."

He managed to glance towards the door and using his vision saw it was Cubby and LuAnn.

"It's Cubby and LuAnn, Diana,' he informed her.

"Oh Hera, them, let's just pretend we're not home,' she offered.

"They know we're here,' he replied. "Our cars are in the driveway."

"Couldn't we just be the rude neighbors that don't answer the door,' she asked, grinding against him in hopes it would help her win.

"Oh Jeez,' he groaned. The doorbell rang again. "They aren't going away."

"Why do they have to be so friendly in the suburbs,' she lamented, still not moving to answer the door. He managed to sit up, even as she continued to straddle him and hold his arms hostage.

"We have to answer the door, Diana."

"I don't want to. This is the start of our honeymoon, Kal,' she said with almost a pout.

"If we don't they'll just keep coming back,' he suggested. She kissed him passionately again. "I'll-I'll get rid of them, I promise."

Diana was frustrated, but knew he was probably right. She never cared for the neighbors, especially that LuAnn, but knew the rude woman wouldn't take a hint.

"You'll get rid of them,' she asked.

"As fast as possible,' he quickly replied. "I want to start this honeymoon just as much as you do."

Diana smiled at this and then reluctantly got off him. Clark slowly stood up, taking a deep breath to try and get himself under control. Diana watched him with a playful smile.

"Something wrong, Kal,' she asked in her most innocent voice.

"Yes,' he replied, watching her try and not laugh. "I'd prefer not to answer the door quite so excited."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Oh yes," he immediately said. "But not till after we answer the door."

Taking another deep breath, Clark shook himself and then glanced at her blouse.

"Might want to pull that together a bit, honey or Cubby will never want to leave,' he teased.

"You too or I'll have to throw LuAnn out this time,' she countered.

They moved towards the door, trying to straight their clothes and appearance. They looked at each other and nodded. Clark opened the door.

"Well, there you are,' LuAnn said gaily. "We were beginning to think you weren't going to answer."

"We weren't…" Diana started to reply, but Clark cut her off.

"We weren't expecting guests."

"I see,' LuAnn said, her eyes immediately moving to Clark's exposed chest.

"A little afternoon delight, eh, pal,' Cubby joked, his eyes growing wide at just the hint of what lay under Diana's blouse.

"So, um, ah, what-what can we do for you two,' Clark asked. He was standing in the doorway block their entrance. Diana also had her hand on the door.

"A party, a special party we're having,' LuAnn said, looking only at Clark. "It's tonight and we really want you to come, Clark. Oh, and you too, Diana."

"Yes definitely you too, Diana,' Cubby chimed in, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Tonight,' Clark asked.

"Yes!"

"No,' Diana quickly replied. "We have plans. We're going to spend the night…"

Again Clark cut her off, a little afraid of what she might say to them.

"Work, we have work plans, can't be helped,' he said.

"Are you sure,' LuAnn asked, moving just a little closer. "We really want you to be there tonight, Clark."

"We're sure,' Diana answered. She was starting to push against the door to close it, even as Clark held it open.

"Damn shame,' Cubby said. "We were hoping you two would join the rest of us tonight, but if you have to work, you have to work, we understand."

"We really do,' Clark nodded. Meanwhile he was struggling with Diana over the door.

"Speaking of work, have you considered my proposal about siding the house, Clark? You have to strike while the iron's hot,' Cubby continued.

"Still-Still thinking about it, Cubby,' Clark replied, his grip on the door a little harder as he could feel Diana trying to push it closed.

"We have other things on our mind,' Diana added, adding just a little more force behind trying to close the door.

"_You're going to shatter the door if you keep this up_,' Clark whispered so low only she could hear him. Cubby had continued his spiel about aluminum siding, but they weren't really paying attention. Diana kept the pressure up on the door, but reached her hand around Clark's body and gently grazed her fingertips up his side. He reacted and this was all she needed.

'Thank you both for stopping by,' she immediately said. "Good bye now."

The door closed in the next moment. Clark glanced at her and saw a satisfied smile on her face.

"I didn't want to waste any more of my life with that,' she said in justification.

"Aren't you immortal,' he asked.

"Theoretically, but I still don't want to waste it when I can be doing something else,' she replied, moving to him and putting her arms around his neck. "I believe we were on the couch before we were so rudely interrupted."

"I'm not sure the couch is sturdy enough,' Clark joked.

"The bed,' Diana offered.

"Wouldn't want to break it, would you?"

"No, I really like that bed,' she replied. Her eyes began to scan their surroundings and finally landed on the pool.

"The pool, Kal,' she said with a ardent smile.

"But that's where Lashina attacked you, Diana,' he protested, uncomfortable with the whole memory.

"Time to make new memories, Kal,' Diana warmly said. She took his hand and led him out the patio doors to the side of the pool. Excitement and nervousness seemed to spiral together inside of her, making her dizzy with anticipation.

"There is that party tonight on the station, Diana, to settle the bet,' he offered, moving in and wrapping his arms around her. If we don't show up, they'll come looking for us."

"That's a million miles away from this moment, Kal,' she said, embracing him.

"Diana, I know this is your first time and…" he started, but she cut him off.

"Yes, it is, Kal, but there is no holding back now,' she offered. "Besides I have a vivid imagination."

"Do you now?"

"Let me show you,' she replied and then pulled him into the pool with her. Their lips met just before they went under the water. They floated down, locked in a passionate embrace. When they finally surfaced they were both a little out of breath and not from being under water. She slipped his shirt off his back and he did the same with hers. Between heated kisses they managed to strip each other until nothing remained between them. Their eyes were locked the whole time. Diana moved one of her legs up the side of his body and hooked it around his waist. One of his hands formed a seat for her, while the other supported her lower back

He could feel her hot breath against his face as she moved her other leg so she was in position. They were both breathing hard, never taking their eyes off each other's. Diana gave a little gasp as he entered her for the first time. They held still for what seemed like forever, but was only a few moments, relishing the sensation of being joined.

"Finally,' she whispered.


	51. Chapter 51

Coda

"The Adventure Begins"

Gotham Heights

It was several hours later and the pool had lost a considerable amount of water. Its two occupations didn't seem to notice. What had been a mad rush to consummate their relationship turned into an all-consuming exploration of each other's body.

They had sex several times too.

They'd made the right call with the pool, for the couch or bed wouldn't have been able to handle them. As Diana had told him, she had a vivid imagination. She was also an astonishingly fast learner.

For his part, Clark had imagined what it might be like to be with a woman and not have to worry, but his fantasies didn't do it justice. If he thought Diana overwhelmed his senses before, it was increased tenfold when they were together. Place, time, they were meaningless with her in his arms. His desire for her was only amplified by the desire he felt from her.

It was getting late, though. The shadows were creeping across the pool. In one of the few moments of clarity about anything other than her, he remembered they had an appointment on the station.

"Diana,' he ventured, kissing along her neck and shoulder blade.

"Yes, Kal,' she said with enthusiasm, running her hands down his back.

"We have to stop."

She pulled back and gave him a look that was both vulnerable and confused. He quickly clarified.

"The party, on the station,' he said.

She smiled in relief, but then the smile slipped a little.

"I'm not really in the mood for that now,' she admitted.

"Oh? What are you in the mood for,' he playfully asked.

Her smiled brightened as she pulled his body tighter against her.

"Guess,' she teased.

"I've created a monster,' he chuckled, his hands stroking her flawless skin.

"Yes, you have,' she replied, kissing him passionately again. "You married me, Mr. Kent, I expect you to do your husbandly duty."

"With pleasure, but right now, we have to get to the station,' he said, kissing her back.

Diana glanced down between them and then smiled at him.

"Can't we say something's come up?"

"Oh, you're cute,' he replied.

"Just cute, Kal,' she asked. While vanity had never been an issue with Diana, she found she did like hearing compliments from him.

"Cute, beautiful, sexy, breath-taking, shall I go on?"

"That's good for now,' she replied, kissing him again. She put her whole body into each kiss and he found it not only took his breath away, but all other thoughts seemed to dim and slip to the background. I'm never going to get enough of her, he thought.

They both heard the League communicator beep and as reluctantly as they were to answer it, they knew it might be an emergency. Slipping from each other's arms, they moved over to the edge to answer it.

"Yes,' Diana said.

"Diana? This is Jonn, I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

For some reason Diana blushed and bit her lip before replying. She tactfully didn't answer his question.

"Is-is there an emergency, Jonn?"

"No, I just wanted to remind you both that the others are gathering already to settle the bet,' Jonn explained. "I wanted you to be prepared for their calls if you arrive later than usual."

"Thank you, Jonn, we appreciate it,' she replied.

"You're welcome my friends, and congratulations."

The communicator went silently. Diana set it down and then took a deep breath. She felt marvelous. The first time with Kal had been beyond words. The nervousness she thought she would feel had been push aside by the desire and need. Once they were making love, she knew it was right, perfect. She wasn't sure if it was Athena or Aphrodite, but she would thank all of her patrons for her first time being with him.

She felt goose bumps rise on her skin as he came up behind her. Just his touch excited her. Hera help me, she thought, I hope he never realizes just how much he can affect me with just a touch.

"We should probably get ready,' he offered. She turned in his arms to face him.

"Yes, I know," replied Diana, nodding in agreement. "You still owe me a date, Kal."

"A date too? You are so demanding, Mrs. Kent,' he teased.

"Yes I am, so get used to it, Mr. Kent,' she teased back. "I already know where I want to go on our date, too."

"Care to share it with me?"

"Later,' she said. "Bring a change of clothes though. The charcoal suit and the red tie, please."

"Now she's picking out my wardrobe,' he muttered under his breath and then said a little louder. "I should probably bring an extra shirt too, as you seem to like ripping them off me."

"Good idea,' she laughed, climbing out of the pool and walking towards the patio doors. Clark was about to follow, but the sight of Diana naked stopped him. The water glistened off her skin as his eyes roamed over her perfect body.

"Coming Kal,' she playfully said over her shoulder, knowing he couldn't take his eyes off her. She especially liked that. Clark heard her giggle as she opened the door and went inside.

"I'm never going to get anything done around her,' he muttered aloud. Well, we all have our crosses to bear, he mused to himself with a satisfied smile.

* * *

The Watchtower

Almost an hour and a half later, Clark and Diana arrived. That big bed had been just too tempting. They had tried to be careful and somehow had not broken it. Wally and Jonn were at the controls. As they transported in, Diana and Clark were in the middle of a discussion.

"I'm just saying, I like the charcoal grey suit better, is all, Kal,' Diana explained. "It looks better than those basic black suits you usually wear. It's my date, so I want you to look right."

"Yes, ma'am,' Clark replied.

"Wow, you two already sound like an old married couple,' Wally laughed.

"We're newlyweds, Wally, it's only been a month,' Diana replied. She flashed a smile to Clark as they stepped down and started for the door.

"So have you seen each other naked yet,' Wally joked. Diana didn't stop, but turned as they were heading out the door and smiled.

"Yes."

Clark smiled and shrugged his shoulders as they disappeared through the sliding doors. Wally and Jonn stood there stunned for a moment.

"He's my hero,' Wally finally offered.

* * *

The Watchtower Cafeteria

The heroes had been gathering for some time now. The bet had been a major subject of conversation for the whole month and considerable money had been placed on its outcome. The winners were especially eager to collect.

Shayera, Dinah and Zatanna were standing together having some of the punch discussing the bet. Zatanna was not in a good mood.

"What is it with you,' Dinah asked. "Don't tell me you're still pining for Clark are you?'

"What? God no,' Zee replied. "It wasn't pining, anyway. I just thought he'd be a nice guy to go out on a date with, that's all. Jeez, Shayera goes out with Wally and no one says a thing, but I mention I wouldn't mind dating Clark and everyone freaks out."

"I'm not dating Wally,' Shayera corrected her.

"Right, sure you're not,' Zee sarcastically replied.

"I'm not!"

"So if it's not that, what is making you so pissy tonight,' Dinah asked, ignoring Shayera's protest.

"I lost two thousand bucks on the bet,' Zee exclaimed. "You'd think the one time I trust Batman, Bruce blows it and loses the bet! He owes me, big time!"

"It was just one date, that's all,' Shayera interjected. "I mean it's not like he's even asked me on a second one. So we're not dating."

'I thought you were rich,' Dinah joked, still not acknowledging Shayera's statements.

"I am,' Zee replied. "I got that way by hard work and not losing stupid bets! I mean if I can't count on Batman to know all the angles and figure out a way to win, I might as well play keno with my money!"

"It is strange he lost,' Dinah admitted. "Although, since I bet on Diana, I'm really happy he did."

"We're really not dating," Shayera repeated.

"Okay, Shayera, we got it,' Zee grumbled. "You're not dating Wally, fine! You have no interest in dating Wally, I'll mark it down."

"I didn't say I had no interest in dating Wally, just that we're not,' Shayera replied before she thought about what she was saying.

"Oh, really,' Zee smiled for the first time. "You and Wally, huh?"

"You-You-You're twisting my words,' Shayera said as she blushed.

"Is that all you two ever think about, gossip," Dinah asked. "There are other things in life you know."

"Well, aren't you so mature,' Zee snidely replied.

"Watch it! I still have my list,' Dinah snapped back.

"Oh, go ahead, put me on your list already,' Zee offered. "I'm out two thousand bucks!"

* * *

Diana and Clark made a side trip before they went to the cafeteria. There was one person they wanted to talk to first. They found him where they expected to find him, busy in the computer room.

"Bruce? You have a moment,' Clark said.

He turned and looked at the two of them. He would have had to be a pretty piss poor detective not to see they were in love.

"So the bet's over, huh,' he offered.

"Yes,' Diana said, stepping forward. "While I won the bet, I wanted to let you know I don't plan on collecting my winnings."

"Oh, really,' Bruce replied.

"Yes, Bruce,' Diana continued. "We, Kal and I wanted you to be the first to know about us."

"I tried to tell you the day at your house, but then Lashina struck,' Clark added.

"Tell me that you're in love or you've slept together," he asked.

Diana blushed hotly at this.

"The later,' Clark finally replied. He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"So you two are in love,' Bruce said flatly. "Congratulations."

"You don't seem surprised,' Diana said. How he knew they'd made love, she wasn't sure she wanted to ask.

"When I saw Clark with you after the attack, it was pretty obvious,' Bruce admitted.

"We wanted you to hear it from us, not from the gossip of others,' Diana told him. Bruce looked at her for a moment. Part of him realized he'd probably missed out on something wonderful with her, but he'd always had a sneaking suspicion these two would end up together. He might be a little sad about what might have been, but these were also his friends.

"I'm happy for you both,' he offered.

"Thank you."

He gave them a rare smile and then turned back to the computer.

"Everyone's gathered in the cafeteria, Bruce,' Diana said to him.

"Yes, I know,' he replied, not looking up from the computer. "I hope you all have a wonderful time."

"You weren't planning on attending," she asked.

"Not really."

Diana looked at Clark and he just shrugged. With a determined expression she went over and turned off the computer.

"Hey, I was working on that!"

"You're coming, Bruce,' Diana said firmly. "You agreed to admit your defeat in front of everyone. You lost the bet, remember?"

"I thought you were foregoing collecting on it,' he said, looking up at her.

"Not all of it,' Diana replied with a smile. "While I know not wearing the costume for a month would be difficult, I've always expected admitting I was right and you were wrong would be the hardest part for you. I'm collecting on that part of the bet, Bruce."

He gazed at her and then looked at Clark for help.

'Don't look at me,' Clark quickly said, raising his hands. "I know when to stay out of it."

"You're getting really good at the husband thing, Clark,' Bruce grumbled.

"It pays to keep the wife happy,' Clark quietly said. "Trust me."

"Let's go, Bruce,' Diana said.

"Couldn't I just do your shifts for a month instead,' he offered.

"No."

"Two months?"

"Move, Bruce,' Diana said, helping him get up from the computer.

"All right, let's get this over with,' Bruce finally said, pulling away from Diana's grasp. "I guess I know who wears the pants in your house, Clark."

"Did you really think it would be any other way,' Clark replied.

"No, I guess not,' Bruce offered. The three of them exited the room and headed towards the cafeteria. Always observant, Bruce was sure he saw something different pass between his two friends.

"So I take it you are in no hurry to get the marriage annulled,' he ventured.

Both Clark and Diana smiled and looked at each other.

"You could say that,' Diana admitted.

"So I guess you're the big winner, aren't you, Diana?"

"No, I am," Clark replied, reach over and taking her hand in his. Bruce saw this and rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to be that kind of couple, are you,' he groaned.

"I'm afraid so, Bruce,' Diana said. "We plan on telling everyone of our marriage at the ceremony."

"You might want to hold off on that,' Bruce suggested. The three stopped in the hallway.

"Why?"

"Well, if I know our teammates, they will want to have you two get married again, so they can be there,' Bruce explained. "Bachelorette parties, bridal showers, the whole works. You'll be on the station all night with them planning it."

Diana looked at Clark and knew that was the last thing she wanted to do tonight.

"I guess we could always tell them at a later date,' she offered.

"We'll still be married, so there's no rush,' Clark added. His mind was on other things as well

"Maybe you shouldn't moon over each other quiet so much either,' Bruce offered. "You two have no poker faces at all."

They both laughed and blushed at this. Bruce looked at them and just shook his head.

* * *

In the cafeteria, Wally and Mari had come in and joined Shayera, Dinah and Zee. They all moved over to a table to sit down, but Dinah stopped and looked at one of the chairs.

"Has that red chair always been there," she asked. "I thought the chairs were neutral in here?'

"Red, blue, gray, who cares,' Shayera said.

"I think it's Plastic Man,' Dinah replied. "He's always doing weird stuff like this."

"Well, you did let him hug you,' Wally offered. "That sort of says you like him."

"He thinks he's making headway,' Mari added. "Now that you admitted liking him and everything."

"But I don't,' Dinah protested. "Even his hug kind of creeped me out and now I can't get rid of him!"

"You are so paranoid,' Zee muttered as she dropped into one of the seats. "Even if it is Plastic Man, give him a little thrill and sit down. Let him get his jollies off for once."

"Boy you are a bad loser, Zee,' Wally observed. "Although, I do like how your mind works."

"Why don't you get me some more punch, Wally, or I could hit you,' Zee replied.

"Punch it is!"

He dashed off to refill her glass. Shayera sat down, but she was looking at him.

"He still hasn't asked me on a second date,' she murmured. "This was a perfect opportunity and he said nothing."

"You want a second date,' Mari asked.

"Yes-No, I don't know,' Shayera admitted. "I mean we had a nice time, with the boxing and then the fight and finally dancing, you'd think he'd at least asked."

"Maybe he's just shy,' Mari offered. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and just looked at her.

"Okay, I forgot, this is Wally we're talking about,' Mari replied. Zee was about to comment, but she noticed Dinah was still standing. Wally came back and handed her a glass and they both looked at Dinah.

"Dinah,' Zee said.

"It's him, I just know it is,' she replied, giving the chair a little kick. "Well, he can forget it, I'm not sitting down so he can get his jollies somewhere else!"

"Some one's crazy,' Wally whispered to Zee. He rolled his eyes and made a face to go along with the comment. Unfortunately he whispered it just a little too loud.

"Excuse me,' Dinah said, the glare she gave him letting him know she was not happy. "You just made the list, Wally! Why don't you sit there, if you think I'm crazy?"

"No way, I don't want him getting his jollies off with me, either,' Wally protested. "What list? What did I miss?"

"Her shit list,' Zee explained. "Don't feel bad, I'm apparently on it too. So is the chair, I take it."

"He thinks it's Plastic man too,' Dinah replied.

"No, but I don't want to take the chance, either,' Wally offered, moving over and sitting next to Shayera.

"Apparently that's not the only thing you're not taking chances on,' Shayera said, crossing her arms in front of her and turning away from him. Wally looked at her and then at Zee with a look that said, 'what the hell' is that about? Zee was about to answer when she saw Bruce, Diana and Clark enter the room.

"Excuse me a moment,' she said and then made a beeline for Bruce. Dinah took Zee's seat, but kept an eye on the red chair.

* * *

Bruce was trying to be a good sport about the bet, but he really didn't like losing, at anything. He said all the right things, but part of him wanted another chance to win. Clark and Diana went over to grab some punch, while he stood at the entrance of the room. He almost missed Zatanna walking towards him, as he was trying to figure out how to turn this around.

"Nice going, detective,' she said to him. "Here I thought you were always five moves ahead of everybody and that's why your 'beloved' Talia calls you detective, but now I see it's to be ironic."

She stood right in front of him with an accusatory look on her face.

"First of all, she's not my beloved, you know that,' he replied. "Second, would you care to inform me why you're being more of a snot than usual?"

"I lost, Bruce,' Zee fired back. "I bet on you and I lost, two thousand dollars."

"Oh, come on, you've got plenty of money,' he said dismissively.

"Not as much as I had before I bet on you,' she lamented. "You owe me, Bruce.'

"All right, I'll take you to lunch, satisfied,' he offered.

"Bruce, I'm a hundred and twenty-five pound woman if you haven't noticed,' she replied. "How much do you think I can eat?"

He gave her a look.

"Okay, one thirty, but I'm five seven and besides, the points still the same!"

'What do you want me to do, write you a check,' he asked. "It is called gambling for a reason, you know?"

"But you never lose," she said.

"I know,' he replied, still not happy about the outcome.

"Well, you better not lose next time or I'm really going to be pissed at you,' she finally said and then turned to walk away. "On a stupid bet about living in the suburbs, just unbelievable."

* * *

Clark and Diana had been separated as different heroes started talking to them. Every once and a while, they would look for the other and their eyes would meet. Diana felt a thrill go through her body as his words about what he was thinking when he looked at her came rushing back.

Standing towards one side was Kara, Courtney and Mary.

"They look so pretty as a couple,' Mary said with a big smile.

"I'm responsible,' Kara offered. She stood with her arms crossed and a very satisfied grin on her face. The other two looked at her.

"How's that,' Courtney asked.

"Who do you think pushed those two together? Me, that's who,' Kara informed them.

"Didn't the bet push them together,' Courtney asked.

"Oh please, get real,' Kara scoffed. "If it weren't for me they'd have never hooked up. I told him right from the start this was his big chance to put the moves on the princess."

"You told Mr. Superman to put the moves on Ms. Wonder Woman,' Mary gasped in shock.

"Oh, don't even try that innocent act, Mary,' Kara replied. "It might work with Diana and the older members, but we saw you with Toyman, remember?'

"I-I don't know what you mean,' Mary stammered.

"You threatened to rip his dick off, Mary,' Courtney offered.

"I was angry," Mary said, trying to justify her actions. "I-I didn't know what I was saying."

The other two chuckled at this.

"It's true,' Mary exclaimed.

"Right, you keep telling Billy and the others that,' Kara joked.

"I didn't tell him that,' Mary replied. "He said he already knew it was your bad influence on me, Kara."

"Me? What the hell, Mary? Courtney's the one that swears like a sailor," Kara protested. She looked at Star Girl, but she suddenly wasn't returning the look. "What?"

"I kind of let Pat think it was you, too,' Courtney admitted. "I mean he already kind of did, I just didn't correct him."

Now Kara was pissed. She put her hands on her waist and glared at her two friends.

"He thinks I'm a bad influence on you,' Kara grumbled. "The guy that watches Women in Prison films with you has the nerve to accuse me? And you, Mary, what's the deal with your douchebag brother blaming me for you going ape-shit?"

"Hey,' Courtney protested. "I'm dating that douchebag, remember?"

"He's not a douchebag, you two bitches,' Mary growled at them.

"Here we go with the bitch talk again,' Kara said, rolling her eyes. "Like I said earlier, you may be fooling all of them, but you're not fooling me, Mary Poppins. By the way, you call me a bitch one more time, you won't have to worry about Toyman, cause I'll be putting my foot up your ass, got it?"

"Oh, I call that big talk, honey,' Mary fired back.

"Would you two shut the fuck up, Green Lantern's coming this way,' Courtney whispered. John walked over to the three of them and smiled.

"Enjoying the party, girls,' he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Lantern, it's neat,' Mary replied with a big, innocent smile.

"Wonderful,' Courtney said.

"Aces," Kara added. She even gave him thumbs up.

"Good to hear,' he said and then moved off. Once he was out of earshot, Courtney turned to Kara.

"Aces? How fucking lame is that,' she said chuckling at the thought.

"Even Billy's not a big enough douchebag to use 'Aces' Kara,' Mary added with a laugh.

"Hey, enough with the douchebag stuff, Mary,' Courtney protested. "He's my boyfriend and your brother, remember?"

"Are you going to whine all night or are we hitting the clubs,' Mary dismissively asked.

"Aces, God that is so embarrassing,' Kara lamented. "And I'm the bad influence, right."

* * *

Clark and Bruce found themselves off to the side. They would probably only have a moment together before someone else came over, so Clark wanted to use it wisely.

"Thank you for being so gracious, Bruce, I know you don't like to lose,' Clark began.

"Neither does your wife,' Clark,' Bruce replied.

"Are you okay with that,' Clark asked.

"Yes."

"I know you had feelings for her, Bruce,' Clark continued. "I hope you know I-well, we didn't plan it to happen this way?'

"Clark, you're the right guy for Diana,' Bruce admitted. "Yes, I've been attracted to her, but I also knew there were too many obstacles in the way. She's happy and in love with you, just like you're in love with her. I'm fine with that, Clark, and I do wish you both well."

"Thank you, my friend,' Clark said sincerely, shaking Bruce's hand.

"That's what friends are for, besides, I've got my hands full with a certain magician at the moment," Bruce said with a chuckle.

"I can think of worse things,' Clark offered with a smile.

"I suppose,' Bruce admitted.

"There was one other thing, Bruce,' Clark said, lowering his voice. "About the other reason for Diana and I being in that suburbs."

"The devil worshippers?'

"Yes,' Clark nodded. "I know who they are, but I don't think they're really anything to worry about. They're just good, but misguided people, really. I'm pretty sure they are even thinking of moving on from that anyway."

"Was it your neighbors,' Bruce asked. "The aluminum siding couple?"

"How-How did you know that,' Clark asked, a little shocked by Bruce's statement.

"Zatanna and I went down there one day,' Bruce explained. "We attended an open house with them."

"I don't remembering seeing you two."

"Your mind was on Thor at the time,' Bruce replied.

"Oh, that day,' Clark said. "But how did you know about Cubby and LuAnn?"

"We met them,' Bruce continued. "While he was giving me the hard sell on aluminum siding, he and a couple of the others let some things slip. It wasn't that hard to piece it together."

"You didn't contact the authorities, did you,' Clark asked. "I really think they're harmless, Bruce."

"No, I didn't contact anyone,' Bruce replied. "I'm met enough evil people in my life to know who is and who isn't."

"I think Cubby would tell you the only evil is not getting into aluminum siding in this market," Clark joked. Bruce actually smiled at this.

"I know,' Bruce replied. "Give me the Gotham crazies any day.'

* * *

Shayera had been dropping veiled hints to Wally, but he just didn't seem to be putting them together. She was getting more than a little frustrated. She sat next to him, watching as he joked and gossiped with Mari and sometimes Dinah. Dinah was distracted, keeping one eye on the red chair.

"So she really admitted they've seen each other naked,' Mari asked with interest.

"Yes! No hesitation, nothing, just right out with it,' Wally excitedly replied. "I think they've been doing more than pretending to be married, if you know what I mean!"

"I knew they'd hooking up," Dinah absently offered.

"Sure you did,' Wally joked. "Did the chair tell you, or did you just know on your own?"

"You just made the list,' Dinah fired back. "I'm telling you I knew, okay? I know when couples are going to hook up, it's a sense I have."

Zatanna wandered back to the table and sat down.

"What sense do you have,' she asked.

"She apparently knows when people are going to hook up,' Wally said with a laugh.

"Do you mean Wally and Shayera,' Zee asked Dinah.

"W-W-What," Wally stammered, caught completely off guard by Zee's statement. Shayera blushed, but didn't say anything.

"No, I mean, I wasn't talking about them," Diana replied.

"Then who?"

"Diana and Clark."

"You did not,' Zee protested.

"I did too,' Dinah said, defending herself. "Just look at them and you can tell."

"Hold it a second,' Wally interrupted. "Why did you say me and Shayera?'

"Oh, come on Wally, it's so obvious,' Zee replied.

"Isn't what obvious," he asked.

"She's been dropping hints left and right for you to ask her out again,' Mari added.

"Really," Wally said in surprise. He turned and looked at her. "I didn't get that at all. Is that true, Shayera?"

The glare she gave him spoke volumes. Wally almost flinched under her unblinking gaze. The sound of Diana's voice cut through the noise and everyone turned towards the front of the room. Wally leaned over and whispered to Shayera.

"You really want to go out with me, again?"

"Are you finally asking me,' she whispered in reply.

"Um, ah, well, yeah?'

"I'll let you know,' Shayera said and then turned towards Diana.

* * *

At the front of the room, Diana gestured for Clark and Bruce to join her. Once they were next to her she called for the attention of everyone.

"As you all know, Batman and I have had a bet for the last month,' Diana said. "As of today, the bet is over. Bruce, why don't you tell them the outcome?'

Diana had her most dazzling smile on her face as she stepped back to give Bruce room. He gave her a withering look, but it did nothing to diminish her smile.

"As everyone already knows,' he began. "Diana won the bet."

"And,' Diana said, prompting him.

"And I lost, satisfied, Princess,' he grumbled.

"Yes, thank you,' she said with a nod. "I think I've proved my point."

"I sort of doubt that,' Bruce muttered. "It was only a month in the suburbs, Diana, not exactly a life or death situation."

"You lost, Batman and the rules were ones you agreed on,' Diana proudly said. "Besides, it's not like you could do it."

A chuckle went through the crowd at even the thought of it. It died rather quickly under the infamous Batman glare.

"You don't think I could do the same thing you and Clark did, Princess,' Bruce asked, his voice almost on edge.

"No,' Diana replied, looking him right in the eye. "What were your words, oh, yes, some of us are just better suited for different assignments, Bruce."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself, Princess."

"I am,' Diana stated. "I won and I don't think you could do the same.'

This had been bothering him for most of the day and he suddenly made an impulsive offer.

"Care to wager on it, Princess,' Bruce asked.

"What do you have in mind, Bruce,' she asked, confident she could match his bluff.

"Double or nothing,' Bruce stated. "Winner takes all, Diana."

"Same rules,' she asked.

"Yes."

"It's a bet!"

The room exploded with this bit of news. Heroes were already talking about whom they were betting on. Diana held out her hand and Bruce took it.

"Oh, before I forget, Gotham Heights is a couples community, Bruce,' Diana said. "So who's going to play your wife?'

"Zatanna,' he stated.

* * *

Zee had only been half listening to the conversation. She already knew she lost and this seemed just a formality. She was just taking a drink of punch when she heard her name. Her eyes went wide and the punch came spraying out from her lips, soaking Wally, Shayera, Mari and Dinah.

"What the hell, Zee,' Wally protested. The others wiped their faces and looked at her in shock.

It took a moment for her to catch her breath.

"What-What did he say,' she finally managed to ask. "I'm doing what, with who?'

"Suburbia here you come, Zee,' Shayera laughed and the rest of the table joined in.

"No! No way, not going to happen!"

She continued to protest, even as Bruce walked over to the table.

"Can I speak with you a moment, in private,' he asked her.

"It's not going to change anything, Bruce,' Zee immediately replied, even as he was helping her out of her chair. "There's no way I'm moving to the suburbs, no way!"

In the next moment she was standing and he ushering her into one of the side rooms. She protested the whole way. The others watched, silently but fascinated until the door closed.

"Okay, 2 to 1 odds on them not making it,' Wally said. "Any takers?"

The red chair next to Dinah suddenly began to change.

"I'll take some of that action! A-ring-a-ding-Ding!"

"I knew it! I knew it,' Dinah shouted. The room filled with voices as the betting got underway.

Off to the side, Diana and Clark were standing together. She leaned in and whispered to him and he smiled and nodded. Unnoticed, they slipped out of the room and exited the station.

* * *

Niagara Falls – Honeymoon Suite

A large red, heart-shaped bed dominated the room. Under the silk sheets, two newlyweds were doing what newlyweds had been doing since this hotel was built. The roar of the Falls just outside was the reason most of the other guests though they felt the Earth move. The thought that Superman and Wonder Woman might be causing it in the honeymoon suite never crossed anyone's mind.

The fact was, they weren't. Clark and Diana Kent, newlyweds, occupied the honeymoon suite. That's who they were, just Clark and Diana, married couple.

* * *

(A/N - That's where it ends. Thank you to everyone that read it and a special thank you to those that read and reviewed it. I read them all and really appreciate it.)


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